Metal Gear Solid 3: Rising Heaven
by Beelzemon
Summary: When Snake and Raiden infiltrate a fortess call 'Rising Heaven', they learn Liquid's back, and in order to survive, Raiden has to drop his pansy act...
1. Default Chapter

METAL GEAR SOLID 3: RISING HEAVEN  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Metal Gear series, but I own certain characters in here. I'll say who when I get to them, so as not to spoil anything.  
  
Summary: Snake and Raiden have to a fortress called 'Rising Heaven' to shut down two Metal Gears. The problem? Liquid's back, and in order to survive, Raiden has to drop his pansy act.  
  
Okay, to be honest, I thought Raiden's being a pansy thing was an act. In Metal Gear Solid 2 [SPOILER ALERT], he himself said he was afraid of his past. Probably so much so that he acted like that to hide it. Here, he'll have to drop the act.  
  
Prelude  
  
"Vamp?"  
  
The pale man didn't seem to hear him. This man had a circular scar on his forehead from a bullet wound inflicted by Raiden when he was firing at Fortune. This was once a member of Dead Cell. Now he IS Dead Cell. He's the only one alive from the Big Shell incident.  
  
"VAMP?"  
  
He was thinking of Ocelot, the man that killed his Queen. How he wanted to cut into him with his knives. To end his miserable existence.  
  
"VAMP!!!!!!"  
  
Vamp snapped out of his daydream to look into the pale yellow eyes of another member of 'Neo-Foxhound.' The man's brown hair hung down, and from looking at him, you'd hardly be able to tell he was a pyromaniacal assassin. What you WOULD be able to tell is that he's obsessed with fireflies. Several of them were flying around him, which was odd, since it was spring. Normally, you'd only see them in the summer. This man was known as Firefly.  
  
[Firefly is one of my creations.]  
  
"Daydreaming of killing that treacherous Ocelot again?"  
  
"."  
  
Vamp didn't want to admit it, but Firefly was starting to become his friend.  
  
"Hate to burst your bubbles, but we need Ocelot ALIVE!"  
  
They looked toward a teenaged boy shooting the moon with a yo-yo. His blonde hair was sticking up from the static electricity coming of the portable dynamo on his back. That was also his name. Dynamo.  
  
[Dynamo is another on of my creations.]  
  
"Just until we get Liquid's arm off of him."  
  
Dynamo's sunglasses reflected another member of the group. This man was in ninja garbs. He was known as Shadow. Dynamo had given him the name.  
  
"Shadow, there's no guarantee that I can get his arm back on his body, and revive him." The boy answered back.  
  
"Have faith."  
  
Shadow's gender wasn't confirmed, but he sounded male, so they assumed that he was. His VR testing was magnificent. He easily bested Arsenal Tengu soldiers AND Gray Fox in the simulations. One thing about him was his loyalty to his master. He considered Liquid his master. Why is unknown.  
  
[Shadow's mine.]  
  
"Queen."  
  
Vamp still felt great sorrow for her death. She was once afraid she'd outlive all of those she loved. Now he felt that way.  
  
"Target's been found! Ocelot is in the city below. Presently in a coffee shop." The pilot of the helicopter shouted back to them.  
  
"This'll be a since." said a man with crimson hair, and eyes to match.  
  
This was VR Falcon. The VR part comes from the fact he can do things normally possible only in VR. In testing, he was the weakest in taking pain. His pain tolerance was ridiculously low. However, that's assuming you could hit him.  
  
[Falcon's mine.]  
  
"I'd better go pay that town a visit." The least human of the group said.  
  
He was called Drago. It fit, since he looked like he was part dragon. Someone seriously screwed him, tampering with his DNA and genome like it was Silly Putty. In fact, he initially didn't survive it, but Dynamo revived him. Drago decided to repay the favor by joining their cause. Who messed up his DNA is still unknown to them, but they're certain it was the Patriots. It also turned out he wasn't the only experiment. He was just the only one to live from it, even though he needed to be brought back from the dead.  
  
[Drago's one of my creations.]  
  
"WHOA!!!!! HOLD IT DRAGO!!!!!!!"  
  
Drago growled at Dynamo.  
  
"WHAT IS IT, BRAT?????" Drago replied in a rough, and slightly non- human voice.  
  
"If you go down there, what'll happen?"  
  
Drago growled at him again, baring his fangs. Then he crossed his arms, careful not to tear the shorts he was wearing with his claws. He flicked his tail in anger.  
  
"I should go down there." Dynamo said as he took his power pack off.  
  
"Why you?" Falcon asked.  
  
"Who'd suspect a kid? Besides, my yo-yo has more tricks then 'walking the dog'."  
  
Dynamo then got on the rope, and did a fast rope descent onto a building. The chopper had a silencing system for the rotors, and it was night, so no one noticed the boy or the chopper above the coffee shop.  
  
'Why the hell's he out in the open?' Dynamo thought.  
  
////////////////////////  
  
Liquid was steamed. The location the Patriots gave Ocelot was a fake, and now he had to lay low. Ocelot usually commanded the body, but Liquid was ticked off. he needed a nice glass of tea to calm down over. Ocelot wouldn't mind a few dollars missing. He had plenty of money from what Gurlukovich paid him for the Tanker raid. Liquid stepped out to enjoy the night air, since at anytime the Patriots could kill him, or worse. his brother. He had barely sipped his drink, when a yo-yo looped around his body, and he was pulled into an alley.  
  
"Didn't think you'd get caught, did you Ocelot? Well, we're here to take revenge for when you betrayed Liquid!!!!"  
  
Liquid felt glad to know he still had some influence, but he had lost out of $3.95 for a cup of a British brew of tea.  
  
"I AM LIQUID!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Dynamo's jaw dropped when he heard his voice. That definitely wasn't Ocelot's.  
  
"WHAT?????"  
  
Then Liquid explained how he could control Ocelot.  
  
"That makes this easier. Liquid. we want you back in command. Anyway, I have a way to bring you back in your body, and correct the genetic deterioration of your cells. We have your body back at HQ. Will you lead Fox-hound into battle again?"  
  
Liquid thought about the times he had leading Fox-hound. Then he remembered something.  
  
"What about Foxdie?"  
  
"A vaccine has been developed, and the traces in your body eliminated."  
  
"Good. Expect Fox-hound to rise and take back the glory it once had."  
  
//////////////////////////  
  
Uh.. Well, I'm not perfect, so don't blame me. 


	2. A few surprises...

Whoa.. I have a review ALREADY????? Should've done this sooner.  
  
Chapter 1 - A few surprises.  
  
Slowly, the man stepped into the room. Vamp was sitting in a pool of water in the center. That passed. The man dodged Vamp's knives, and had almost beaten him, when Vamp got behind him and knocked him into the water.  
  
"GAHHH!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Then the man's vision shifted to the inside of a VR helmet. Snake took the helmet of, and was greeted by a smirking Raiden.  
  
"Not easy is it?"  
  
"Shut up kid."  
  
"Snake, keep in mind Raiden's part of Philanthropy now. You have to show him SOME respect."  
  
Snake glared at Otacon. He didn't see why he had to fight those fights. Snake got up, and walked over to the computer screen Otacon was working on. He was studying the layout of some fortress. Chances were that it involved their next mission.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
Raiden looked up to see Rose walk into the room. Her stomach seemed too big for even her maternity clothes.  
  
"What is it Rose?"  
  
"I just got back from an ultrasound. we're having twins."  
  
That news shook Raiden's world. Only recently did they decide to have an ultrasound, with this being Rose's eighth month. It was awhile before he snapped out of it. It would have been longer, but Snake punched him to get his attention.  
  
"OWWW!!!!!!!"  
  
"SNAKE!!!!!!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Raiden decided to pay more attention.  
  
"Okay. I've been informed of two Metal Gears in a facility in South America. All the reports say the same thing though. one of them is Ray."  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
"There's more. The other Metal Gear is reportedly a flying model."  
  
It was Raiden's turn to curse.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL???"  
  
"JACK!!!!!!"  
  
"Sorry Rose."  
  
"Let's see."  
  
Otacon called up information on the facility. He learned that Ray had been taken from Ocelot a couple months ago, after he had been reported to mysteriously vanish.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
Then an Asian girl walked in with some items diverted from a military unit.  
  
"Mei Ling?"  
  
"Hi Snake."  
  
"Mei Ling, I thought I told you to stop that!" Snake raised his voice.  
  
"Snake, these were already here."  
  
"Oh. Sorry."  
  
Mei Ling set the box down, and she opened it to reveal something that made Raiden jump.  
  
"GAH!!!!!!!! WHAT'S WITH THE NEEDLES???????????  
  
"I asked Mei Ling to get those from storage. They're vaccinations. You can't just go running around down there. You'd get sick."  
  
Snake picked one up.  
  
"What's the dose?"  
  
"The whole amount. They were prepared ahead of time."  
  
Snake rolled up his sleeve, and jammed the needle in his arm. Raiden apparently passed out.  
  
Snake and Raiden crawled out of the water. They were lucky that Naomi had decided to help them. She had added something to their suits to drive Piranha away.  
  
How is the repellent working? She asked via Codec.  
  
I think I got some in my suit. My arm itches. Raiden complained.  
  
At least you still have your arm. Snake told him.  
  
Raiden accepted that as he made sure his M9 was loaded. Snake adjusted his bandana. Raiden was a little jealous since Snake's bandana gave him infinite ammo.  
  
"Let's go." Snake said.  
  
HOLD IT! YOU'RE FORGETTING A PERSON! Otacon shouted.  
  
What? Snake and Raiden asked.  
  
Then a female mercenary crawled out of the water, and removed the mask of her scuba gear. Her red hair hung down since it was wet.  
  
"MERYL!?!?!?!" Snake gasped.  
  
"Surprised? I asked Otacon to keep it a secret."  
  
"."  
  
Raiden didn't particularly care if Meryl came along or not. Then he got a Codec call directed to him alone. He turned his monitor of in case they wanted to keep this private.  
  
Hello?   
  
Raiden, your monitor's off right? A man with sunglasses and his hair back into a ponytail asked.  
  
Yeah, why?   
  
I want to keep this a surprise from Snake. This is McDonnell Miller.   
  
Master??? Raiden recognized him from his VR of Snake's past missions.  
  
What he didn't know was that the real Master was dead, since the VR didn't simulate everything perfectly.  
  
Master? So you call me that too. Anyway, I might be of some help. I've been around South America you know. Thought it best to warm my bones, and help train the rangers that patrol the jungles.   
  
WOW! I gotta tell Snake.   
  
I just said I wanted to surprise him. I'll call him soon enough. Anyway, call me if you have questions about the animals or plant life down here. My frequency is 140. 68.   
  
Then Master signed off, and Raiden looked up to see Meryl and Snake heading towards the facility.  
  
"WAIT UP!!!!!!!!"  
  
Meanwhile, in a chopper, a man was undoing the ponytail in his hair, and removing his sunglasses.  
  
"Is your plan working, my master?"  
  
Liquid frowned at being called master.  
  
"I told you before, call me Liquid."  
  
Liquid then smirked. He knew his 'Coming-out party' would truly be a blast.  
  
The three mercenaries cautiously made their way past the outer defenses, and were in the outer gates of the compound. Another barrier of stonewalls blocked off the fortress, but there were hangers and a heliport outside that wall. The guards seemed to be expecting something. They tensed as a Kasatka flew overhead. They didn't hear it coming. Then the Kasatka landed, and a man with a shroud over him stepped out. There was trouble understanding the following conversation until our heroes activated the translation system of their Codecs.  
  
"Are you the one who won the bidding for the Metal Gears?" A captain of the guards asked.  
  
"No, but I'll be taking Ray back."  
  
Then the man threw the shroud off, and threw a razor sharp boomerang that zigzagged around, cutting wounds into the men as the stranger ran at incredible speed and caught the boomerang before taking out a sword, and swinging it in the direction of the remaining soldiers. They saw something fly at the men, and cut them in half. Then the stranger put his sword away. Otacon then called.  
  
I have a visual. That man is VR Falcon. He was from Foxhound before it was disbanded. He can do things that normally can only be done in VR simulations.   
  
Then Falcon signaled the men in the Kasatka to come out. A boy with a large power pack hooked to gauntlets came out, playing with a yo-yo.  
  
That's Dynamo. He's very intelligent for his age. Beware, because his yo-yo has some surprises in it, including a way to disperse Chaff.   
  
Then a pale man with scars got out. They didn't need an introduction.  
  
Otacon, Vamp's here! Raiden yelped.  
  
I can see that. He was spotted in Manhattan around the time Arsenal Gear crashed.   
  
Then a ninja stepped out, and cautiously looked around. The three ducked just as he looked their way. They got up a couple seconds later, and were glad he wasn't still looking.  
  
He's called Shadow. His skills as a ninja are sharp. Also, he prefers nocturnal combat, since he can make multiple thermal images appear, and he keeps flash powder handy.   
  
Then someone with a LOT of fireflies flying around him steps out. He has an odd pack on his back.  
  
That's Firefly, another remaining member of Foxhound. You can see why he's called that.   
  
They spy the napalm grenades, and the mini flamethrower fast. Then something non-human hops out, and stays in a crouching position.  
  
What the hell is that freak??? Snake asked.  
  
Drago. According to the files, his genetic patterns were experimented on, and you can see the results.   
  
Meryl got out binoculars, and looked closer. She initially zoomed too close, and got a close look of his scaly hide. She pulled the zoom back, and studied his wings, tail, and other bestial features.  
  
His.His wings and tail are moving like they're real!! She yelped.  
  
They are. Mei Ling said. She sounded somewhat depressed.  
  
Is something wrong? Naomi asked.  
  
Oh. nothing.   
  
Anyway, I personally inspected him myself when Foxhound was still together. Be careful. He finds the use of his altered body natural. He also acts less human than you'd like. Naomi told them.  
  
Then they saw someone in a trench coat get out. His face was turned away. He was also saying something they couldn't quite hear, so Raiden took out his Directional Microphone, and used the splitter so they could all hear.  
  
"Is the base secured?" A British voice asked.  
  
"He sounds familiar." All three mercenaries noted.  
  
"Well. our army's going to be a LIIIIIITTLE late." Dynamo noted.  
  
"Does it have something to do with when you were testing your gauntlets by shooting out of the chopper?" Firefly asked.  
  
"Well.. I accidentally hit a couple of Kasatkas."  
  
"YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"HEY!!!!! IT WAS ON A LOW POWER SETTING!!!!! THEIR ENGINES JUST STALLED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Then the man in the trench coat reached into the chopper.  
  
"Come out of there, you treacherous bastard!"  
  
Then they gasp. The man was pulling Ocelot out of it. Ocelot looked pale and sickly, like he had been treated harshly for a while. His right arm was missing again.  
  
"You are going to regret ever betraying me at Shadow Moses!!!!!" he said as his face came out of shadow, lighting up the features which mimicked Snake's.  
  
Then Snake, Otacon, Naomi, Mei Ling, and Meryl recognized the man in the trench coat.  
  
LIQUID!!!!!!!!!!!!   
  
////////////////////////////  
  
Well. they might not be QUITE in character, but this IS a good story. 


	3. Rising Heaven is born...

Whoa. four reviews already? Wow!  
  
Forte: Meh.  
  
Beelzemon: Oh no. leave me alone when I work on this fic, okay?  
  
Chapter 2 - Rising Heaven is born.  
  
Liquid threw Ocelot down onto the ground. Ocelot coughed as dirt filled his nose and mouth. His hoarse cough proved that he was ill. Vamp then jumped toward him, ready to cut him to pieces. Liquid stopped him.  
  
"Why are you stopping me???"  
  
Liquid smirked.  
  
"If you kill him, his suffering will end. Do you want that?"  
  
Vamp caught the meaning of Liquid's words. Then a couple of soldiers in Jungle camouflage walked to him.  
  
"Sir, the base has been taking over. We have the designer of Aero in the prison cells."  
  
"Excellent."  
  
Then one soldier walked up to Firefly.  
  
"Uh. the plants you wanted in that greenery room aren't done yet."  
  
Firefly frowned.  
  
"Then why the hell aren't you working on that????"  
  
"Some of the men refuse to be forbidden from smoking around there. they're a bit drunk, so."  
  
"THEN I'LL GIVE THEM A LIGHT!!!!!!! WHERE ARE THEY???????"  
  
"Mess hall."  
  
Firefly stomped off into the base. Liquid meanwhile, was observing the strategic advantages of this base.  
  
"This place shall be the birthplace of a world where warriors shall reign. A WORLD WITHOUT THE PATRIOTS!!!!!!! This place will go down as surpassing the legend of Outer Heaven!"  
  
"What will you call it, my master?" Shadow asked.  
  
Liquid ignored the title.  
  
"This place will forever be known as.'Rising Heaven.'"  
  
Then they went inside the fort, leaving Ocelot lying on the ground, trying to get up. When the soldiers left, the three mercenaries went up to Ocelot. Ocelot recognized them.  
  
"{Coughs} So.the two 'carrier boys' {Coughs} and the 'carrier girl' {Coughs} came to gloat over my pain."  
  
Snake grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him up.  
  
"TALK!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Snake! Look at him!"  
  
Snake listened to Meryl, and decided to put the decrepit man down.  
  
"I only know a little of Liquid's plan. {Coughs one last time to get the dirt out of his lungs.} Liquid plans to use the Metal Gears housed here to take down the Patriots, and bring about the change in the world he wanted at Shadow Moses."  
  
"How's he back? I thought he was in your arm?" Raiden asked.  
  
Meryl was obviously confused.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Ocelot ignored her.  
  
"Those bastards with him sawed off my arm and put it back on him. then they did something to his to restore his cells, and revive him."  
  
"Sawed?" Raiden asked.  
  
"They used a chainsaw and cut it off above Liquid's arm. Then they removed what tissue was mine from it carefully."  
  
"Gross!" Meryl exclaimed.  
  
"They didn't use any painkillers either."  
  
"Looks like they wanted you to suffer."  
  
"Daily electrocutions by that brat. followed by bloodletting, being locked in a heating box, and given Isolation torture. I'm glad I'm still sane."  
  
Ocelot drew a revolver. His hands couldn't hold onto the gun, and it fell from his hands.  
  
"Can't even hold my guns anymore."  
  
"How the mighty have fallen." Raiden said.  
  
"What???"  
  
"Remember how high and mighty you were acting towards us? Seems ironic you've become so weak. and fitting." Raiden said, coldheartedly.  
  
RAIDEN!!!! Rose gasped at his lack of pity.  
  
"Maybe I deserved this." Ocelot said, "I know they'll lock the front gate, but there are other ways in. The waterways beneath it connect to the inside, and an air duct leads in as well. The only way besides those is through the bunkers over there." He points to bunkers.  
  
"What do you know about the other Metal Gear?" Snake asked.  
  
"Aero? It's a flying Metal Gear, and it uses."  
  
"Uses what?"  
  
Ocelot never finished. Blood started flowing from his mouth, and he fell down dead, VR Falcon behind him with a look of feral pride in his eyes as his boomerang flew back to him, with Ocelot's blood staining the shining yellow metal.  
  
"YOU????"  
  
"Liquid wouldn't like it if Ocelot talked. He sent me back here to kill him."  
  
All three heroes aim their weapons at him.  
  
"Don't try it. I'm as fast as Quick man."  
  
Only Raiden asked.  
  
"Who?"  
  
". Never-mind."  
  
Snake fired his M4, Meryl her Desert Eagle, and Raiden his M9. Falcon merely batted the bullets away using the gauntlets on his arms to do it.  
  
"Too slow!!!!"  
  
Then the main gate into the fortress started closing very fast. Falcon ran faster than they could follow, and stuck his tongue at them just as the gate closed. An aura of silence formed.  
  
Otacon? We have a problem. Where are there ways inside? Snake asked.  
  
Ocelot was telling the truth. Only those three ways lead inside.   
  
I'll take the air ducts. Meryl said.  
  
I'll take. Raiden started.  
  
Bunkers. Snake finished, leaving Raiden with his choice of waterways.  
  
Uh. I may sound stupid for asking, but who's this 'Quick man' Falcon referred to. Raiden asked.  
  
I already did a data search. Rose answered, . the only thing that matches is a video game called 'Mega man'. Apparently, Quick man is one of the 'robot masters', and is noted for being incredibly fast.   
  
Looks like your lead's a dud. Meryl playfully told Raiden.  
  
That's it??? . Wait a second. VR. THAT'S IT!!!!!!!! Raiden shouted, surprising them.  
  
What's it? Naomi asked.  
  
Falcon's abilities are based on those from video game characters. Raiden told her.  
  
Why that's absurd! Naomi told him.  
  
He's also right. Rose informed Naomi, This says Quick man's weapon was a boomerang, and that in one incarnation, he could easily deflect shots as long as he wasn't moving around.   
  
Well. looks like the kid hit pay dirt. Snake noted.  
  
Could be. I'll look into Falcon as well.   
  
Then the three split up, hoping to stop Liquid.  
  
///////////////////////////  
  
Well, it was bound to happen. someone was bound to base themselves on a game guy, and Falcon's it. 


	4. Encounters...

. Did the hype burn out that soon?  
  
Chapter 3 - Encounters.  
  
Meryl was beginning to regret asking for the air ducts. The spiders were starting to freak her out, and she was confined. Then she heard a voice below her. It was familiar, and in a bathroom.  
  
"OOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! Geez.. I'm sick of these bowel attacks. {Groans} Damn that bitch back at Shadow Moses.. {Groans} Ever since she stripped me. Ugh.. I've had these bowel attacks.. {Stomach groans.} Hmm.. But that girl with the glasses back on the Big Shell was kinda cute. {Stomach groans} OHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But that Olga woman. She reminded me off.. {Stomach groans} . THAT BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Meryl was ticked off since he was referring to her. She was glad when he noticed something.  
  
".Ahhhhh.. There's no paper.. just like the Big Shell."  
  
Meryl continued on, glad to know he was suffering for calling her that.  
  
Raiden was angry at the Piranha. They had devoured his only ration. Naomi called him saying he needed to keep it equipped or they'd eat it. She also said they can easily bite through steel, as long as it wasn't too thick. He didn't like hearing that. He surfaced, and decided to walk along the stone walks in the waterways. He'd rather not risk losing more rations. He crept along, and he saw Drago up ahead, doing something. He took his scope out, and zoomed in. Drago was using a small bit of raw meat to lure the Piranha. Drago had his hand in the water, and the Piranha were apparently eating his hand off. until he brought it back up, with the fish still gnawing on his scaled hand. Then he grabbed on of them, and ate it. Raiden felt sick after that. Then he noticed tiny bits of raw meat still on Drago's reptilian muzzle. That clinched it. Drago was DEFINITELY worse than Vamp. At least Vamp wasn't a cannibal. well. that's probably exaggerating it, but Raiden knew that Vamp didn't have armor, but Drago's hide could probably act like body armor.  
  
"Aw crap."  
  
Drago's head spun to look in his direction. Raiden was spotted.  
  
"AW CRAP!"  
  
Rose, I hope you were getting info on Drago.   
  
Raiden. This is Naomi. Be careful. His hide's strong enough to prevent certain firearms from penetrating it.   
  
Like my M9?   
  
Exactly.   
  
I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!   
  
Jack, this is Rose. I can't find Drago on the database.   
  
Raiden knew he was screwed. Then he spotted grenades nearby. Better than nothing.  
  
Wait. I found Grenades.   
  
Raiden. Wait!   
  
Mei Ling? This is hardly the time to.   
  
Don't kill him.   
  
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING???????   
  
.   
  
Raiden didn't get an answer. Then he got a call from Master.  
  
Raiden. This is Master. Naomi informed me of Drago. Listen. See how he's attacking? He isn't planning his attacks, and THAT leaves him open. He leaves himself open. Attack when he's open.   
  
Raiden then got a call from Rose. Master signed off.  
  
Jack, did Mei Ling say where she was? She's not here.   
  
No, and this is NOT the time.   
  
Sorry   
  
Raiden then looked up, and realized that Drago was standing over him the whole time.  
  
"WHAT THE??????????"  
  
Drago was staring at him, rather annoyed.  
  
"ARE YOU FINISHED??????????"  
  
"Uh. yeah I.."  
  
{Beep-Beep}  
  
"Oh. guess not."  
  
Drago then growled in anger as Raiden answered another call from Master.  
  
Sorry Raiden. I forgot to mention that Drago doesn't take advantage of when his foes are busy. He loves fights that are a full- hearted challenge.   
  
That explains why he's not tearing my throat out while he's standing over me.   
  
Then I'd better go. because he also gets angered easily, and is more dangerous when he's angry.   
  
Master hung up, and Raiden stood up. Then Drago lunged at him. Raiden knew this would be a long fight.  
  
Snake made his way past the patrolling guards and watchful cameras, careful not to raise an alarm. If he was discovered, they might start looking for him, and find the others. He made it to a storage warehouse, when a yo-yo buzzed by his head, and returned to the hands of a boy. Dynamo. He wasn't wearing his power pack or gauntlets. Apparently, he was confident in his yo-yo.  
  
"So you're Solid Snake? The man with the same code as our leader. Too bad your legacy dies here."  
  
Snake, I looked up Dynamo.   
  
Rose? I thought you were helping Raiden.   
  
He's busy with Drago.   
  
. The kid's as good as dead.   
  
SNAKE!!!!!! Shouted Otacon, Rose, and Naomi.  
  
What?   
  
Anyway, his yo-yo has everything from Chaff, to blades. Be careful.   
  
Snake hung up, and dodged an electric yo-yo assault.  
  
"Good. but let's see how you are without your radar."  
  
Dynamo then spun the yo-yo over his head, and Chaff started flying out of it. Snake said on thing.  
  
"Damn."  
  
Meryl looked down into the mess hall, and saw dead bodies that were burned in various states of total incineration. Then she saw Firefly setting a guard on fire.  
  
"DAMN DRUNKARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Meryl gasped at how he was killing his allies in cold blood. Firefly heard her.  
  
"Get out of there, or you're in for a hot foot."  
  
Meryl got out, since she had no chance in the vents.  
  
Meryl, this is Naomi. Firefly got his name not because of his flame use, but because of the high-powered flashlight he uses to blind his victims. Don't look directly into it, or you'll be blinded.   
  
Thanks.   
  
Then Meryl drew her Desert Eagle, and aimed at Firefly, while he held a flashlight towards her, and turned it on.  
  
///////////////////////////  
  
Where's Mei Ling? Are our heroes going to live? What's Mei Ling's connection to Drago? Is Raiden being lead to his death be Liquid? 


	5. Not their day...

. I guess the hype DID burn out.  
  
Forte: .  
  
Beelzemon: What?  
  
Forte: . MAKE THAT DAMN TAPE FROM HELL STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Beelzemon: . Super Spy Guy. Your damn tape traumatized him. (Smacks Forte with the broadside of his shotgun.)  
  
Forte: . I needed that.  
  
(Forte grabs Beelzemon, and disembowels him by blasting his torso rapidly.)  
  
Beelzemon: Ugh.. (Dies then comes back.) I am SO glad Snake loaned me a ration.  
  
Forte: .  
  
Chapter 4 - It's just not their day.  
  
Meryl staggered around, firing blindly, trying to hit Firefly. He got the drop on her with his flashlight, and now there was trouble. She felt intense heat near her. As the heat died, her vision cleared. Firefly had his flamethrower pointed in her face.  
  
"Shall I escort you to the prison, or shall I give you a new look? I hear the charred skull look is popular with Goths."  
  
Meryl decided to be taken prisoner. She could escape then.  
  
Dynamo loved every second of the fight. Snake was a great challenge, despite his radar was jammed. He was truly the Legend.  
  
"Come out, come out, wherever you are~."  
  
Then a bullet whizzed by Dynamo's head. He turned, and hurled his yo- yo at Snake. The tazer effect knocked Snake out cold.  
  
"The boss will want to talk to you. to the prison with ya."  
  
Raiden was fairing much better, since Master's advice was dead on. Drago was bleeding now. Raiden threw one last grenade, hoping to kill Drago, but Drago used his tail to bat the bomb back at Raiden. The explosion threw Raiden into the churning water. Drago left to lick his wounds, not keeping an eye on him to make sure the Piranha finished him off.  
  
"{Gasps} Gahh!!!! That nearly killed me!!!!!"  
  
Raiden ate a ration, and let the sense of pleasure following the reliving of his pain sweep over him. Then he got out of the water, and checked his equipment. It was still there. Then he called Rose.  
  
Rose?   
  
JACK!!!! THANK GOD YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!!!   
  
I was surprised myself.   
  
Then Otacon took over.  
  
Raiden, the signals from Snake and Meryl's nanomachines put them in the prison. They've been captured!   
  
NO WAY!!!! SNAKE??? CAPTURED?????   
  
It wouldn't be the first time.   
  
Then Master came in.  
  
Raiden, you're bleeding! Use your bandages. If you keep bleeding.   
  
I know. I'll leave a blood trail.   
  
True, but you're also putting yourself at greater risk of getting ill.   
  
Raiden used a bandage.  
  
Raiden, who's that? Otacon asked.  
  
I'm an old friend of Snake's. I was hoping to surprise him. Master told him, Naomi told me about how things are here.   
  
I think I remember you. Master, right? Otacon asked.  
  
That's right.   
  
Wait, I didn't tell you anything! Naomi interrupted.  
  
Oh? Sorry. I forgot who was who, being out of touch for so long. It must've been Mei Ling.   
  
Oh.   
  
Raiden, do you see any tunnels anywhere? Otacon asked.  
  
Raiden looked around.  
  
Yeah, I see some tunnels that lead off from the main tunnel.   
  
One of those leads directly to the prison. Find it, and free the others.   
  
Raiden then started looking around. He equipped his Directional Microphone to pick up voices. He heard Snake and Meryl from the tunnel on his right. He went down it, and eventually came to a large grate cover with Snake and Meryl on the other side.  
  
"That damn kid. I can't believe I let him catch me off guard."  
  
"At least you weren't threatened to have your head reduced to ash."  
  
Raiden knocked on the grate.  
  
"Is this a bad time to save you?"  
  
"Raiden?"  
  
"Well?"  
  
Snake then noted something Raiden didn't.  
  
"Just HOW are you going to get us out?"  
  
"Uh."  
  
Then a voice shouted from down the tunnel, echoing on the steel walls of the way back to the waterways.  
  
"SOMEONE DOWN THERE'S IN FOR A REAL SHOCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Then Dynamo charged up his gauntlets, and fired an electrical blast into the tunnel walls, sending an electrical surge straight for Raiden.  
  
//////////////////  
  
Short, sweet, and oh so sprinkled with cliffhanger.  
  
Forte: . 


	6. Pleasantries...

Forte: I can't believe that guy just waltzed in, and added a chapter he wrote to one of your fics. It's your fault for not updating enough.  
  
Beelzemon: . Actually. Never-mind.  
  
Forte: Good, because I've noticed something about you, and I demand an answer.  
  
Beelzemon: Can't this wait? I'm trying to update!  
  
(Forte takes out a notebook.)  
  
Forte: What's the deal with you and dragons?  
  
Beelzemon: . HUH????  
  
(Forte opens his notebook.)  
  
Forte: You have one ticket stub from 'Reign of Fire'. although since Gospel went on a sugar high there, you missed out. One.no. two fics with dragons in them.  
  
Beelzemon: (confused) Two? 'Metamorphosis' I get, but what's the other one?  
  
Forte: 'Change'. including a painting of a dragon.  
  
Beelzemon: PLEASE tell me you have something better to do with your time.  
  
Forte: Hold on.(Checks something.) Oh. five stories with dragons, counting the original version of 'Metamorphosis', it's "Sequel" which you also dropped, and that one at Doc's lab.  
  
Beelzemon: Forte, do you have a fever or something? Oh wait.never mind.  
  
////////////////  
  
Chapter..  
  
Forte: I'M NOT DONE YET!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Beelzemon: YOU BASTARD!!!!!!! WAIT UNTIL I GET THE CHAPTER UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Forte: . Let's see.. And six counting 'The unsaid wish.'  
  
Beelzemon: . Huh?  
  
Forte: Dragon-type Digimon.  
  
Beelzemon: . Geez. I THINK Super Spy Guy did more than delete a certain part of your memory.  
  
Forte: . One lay-away receipt for a tape of 'Reign of Fire'.  
  
Beelzemon: That's because I couldn't watch it in any theaters around here.  
  
Forte: And while taking inventory of the movies, I found 'Dragon heart', and a sequel to it..  
  
Beelzemon: You take inventory of the movies? Wish I thought of that.. I never pay that much attention to what Machinedramon loans me. He tried to make me watch 'Mask'.  
  
Forte: . Why would he need to MAKE you? Isn't Jim Carrey funny enough that.  
  
Beelzemon: no. some movie called 'Mask', not 'The Mask.'  
  
Forte: Well I. HEY!!!!!!! Sneaky bastard. back to the matter at hand. I can count this fic your working on. 'Drago' is a copyrighted name from a movie with a dragon.  
  
Beelzemon: . I thought it was from a Rocky Balboa movie.  
  
Forte: THERE YOU GO CHANGING THE SUBJECT AGAIN!!!!!!!!  
  
Beelzemon: It's not like this is interesting, or getting anywhere.  
  
Forte: A-HEM! Square one, I asked you what the deal was with you and dragons. I followed up with evidence that there IS an interest in dragons on your part. I wouldn't have thought much about this until I found those movies.  
  
Beelzemon: FORTE!!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET ME UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
///////////////////////  
  
Cha..  
  
Forte: I WILL NOT DROP IT UNTIL I GET AN ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
(Beelzemon rests his head in his palm, and sighs.)  
  
Beelzemon: . If you keep interrupting my fic for some whacked out armchair theory, I'll tell them.  
  
Forte: (Turns DEEP red, and stutters.) W-w-w-w-w-w-w-what are you talking about?  
  
Beelzemon: . That's it. Did you guys know Forte watches Saturday morning cartoons? Or that he likes the Backstreet Boys?  
  
Forte: (Still red, and with hands over where his ears would be under his helmet.) I'M NOT HEARING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LA-LA-LA-LA-LA- LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Beelzemon: Or that he eats Co-co puffs while watching those cartoons? Or that I've seen him trying to learn how to dance?  
  
Forte: LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Beelzemon: Or that he plays video games all the time? So much for his tough guy image.  
  
Forte: (Still red, but for a different reason.) .YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO ONE DISSES MY IMAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Beelzemon: .Uh-oh.  
  
(Forte shoots a clean hole through Beelzemon's torso, and leaves. Then Beelzemon gets up, and kisses an empty ration container.)  
  
Beelzemon: Thank God for rations. And special thanks that Forte left. Now what did he interrupt me for? I forgot.  
  
///////////////////  
  
Chapter. (Beelzemon looks around to make sure Forte's not around.)  
  
Chapter 5 - Pleasantries.  
  
Raiden thought fast. He kicked out the grating, and jumped into the cell just as the electric current hit the wall. Then Raiden screamed in agony for no apparent reason until.  
  
"That'll teach ya' not to try anything."  
  
Raiden then stood up, and brushed himself off.  
  
"I had a feeling that'd convince him I'm dead."  
  
"I was wondering why you screamed. I thought it was because you twisted your ankle or something." Snake joked.  
  
Raiden glared at Snake.  
  
"That was creepy how it sounded like you were dying..." Meryl said.  
  
"I've had practice."  
  
"What?"  
  
"OH! Nothing!"  
  
Before he could be questioned, Raiden slipped a lock pick kit out of a tiny space between his foot, and the bottom of his Skull Suit. He unfolded it, and picked a pick out, then started working the lock on the cell door.  
  
"You've done that before too, right?" Snake asked.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know."  
  
"Don't tell me you had VR for THAT!" Snake said, "OR else you'll jam the lock!"  
  
Then a click was heard, and Raiden pushed the door open.  
  
"You were saying?" Raiden asked with a grin on his face.  
  
Raiden, I'm impressed. I didn't know you could pick locks. Otacon told him.  
  
Well, it's something I picked up during. Never mind.   
  
During the war Solidus had you in as a child soldier? Otacon asked.  
  
Raiden remained silent.  
  
What surprises me more is how he smuggled that kit out. Naomi stated.  
  
That's also something I picked up from then.   
  
At least your way doesn't give you indigestion. Snake commented.  
  
HUH???   
  
Oh. nothing.   
  
YOU MEAN THAT YOU REALLY DID SMUGGLE YOUR CIGARETTES OUT IN YOUR STOMACH????????? I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST AN ENLIGHTENMENT BEFORE ENGAGING THE SHADOW MOSES SIMULATION PROPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Raiden yelped.  
  
Eww!!!!! Meryl said in disgust.  
  
This is no time for that. According to Intel, the designed of Aero's systems should be in that prison with you. Otacon told them.  
  
Then the three mercenaries left the cell to look for him.  
  
//////////////////////////  
  
(Forte grabs Beelzemon from behind.)  
  
Forte: Guess who?  
  
Beelzemon: DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Forte: Nope! Now back to where we left off. Why the interest in dragons?  
  
Beelzemon: I DON'T HAVE A DAMN INTEREST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT JUST HAPPENS THAT LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT GETS MORE READERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Forte: . Now I know you have a special reason for liking dragons. Why else would you defend yourself so.  
  
Beelzemon: GET.. THE FUCKING.. HELL OFF OF ME YOU DAMN BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
(Beelzemon flips Forte off, and let's loose with his shotguns.)  
  
Forte: ouch..  
  
Beelzemon: . Your auto repairs will handle it. and fix whatever mistake Super Spy Guy made. 


	7. Surprise, surprise...

Uh. Super Spy Guy? Calm down. You should've waited until I said WHAT cartoons and video games.  
  
Forte: .  
  
Beelzemon: . Uh. his auto repair system turned him off. Anyway, he watches. let's see. Oh yeah.. 'Powerpuff Girls', 'Sailor Moon', 'Rugrats', some cooking show, and.  
  
Forte: ZZZZZZZZZ Mm. That Sailor reminds me of Roll.. (Drools.)  
  
Beelzemon: . O~kay then. and Batman Beyond. As per video games.  
  
Forte: ZZZZZZZZZZ Mm.. Samus. (Drools.) I wish I could get Roll to get into an outfit like that..  
  
Beelzemon: . Uh.. I'm not going to ask. anyway, video game wise, it's 'Kirby' games, Bust-a-move, Super Metroid. and he brags about beating it in under three hours at 100%. and a variety of Sim games. Oh. and he has both Metal Gear Solid games.  
  
Forte: (Drooling) ZZZZZZZZZZZ.. O.o Meryl looks good without her pants. He-he-he. I love those posters.  
  
Beelzemon: . Uh. I know you'll probably hate me for this Forte, but I'm going to ask a certain doctor to make a house call. better yet. two certain doctors.  
  
/////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 6 - Surprise, surprise.  
  
Mei Ling shifted nervously in her seat. She wished the pilot would go faster. The Kasatka was heading towards Rising Heaven, with some precious equipment. That didn't mean he had to fly slowly.  
  
"Can't you please fly faster?"  
  
"If you want your things wrecked, yes."  
  
"They're properly packed and tied down. You can fly faster."  
  
"No. We're landing."  
  
True enough, the Kasatka was touching down on the heliport in the base. A dark skinned man with a silver cross around his neck greeted her. His accent clearly showed he was Spanish.  
  
"HEY!! MEI LEENG!!!! Good to see you!"  
  
Mei Ling smiled. She was fortunate that an old acquaintance was a guard here before the terrorists attacked. She got out, and they began unpacking.  
  
"What bring you here?"  
  
"."  
  
Mei Ling kept silent. She only hoped that she wasn't too late.  
  
Raiden felt uneasy as he headed down the hall. Something in the back of his mind told him danger was lying in wait. That same feeling told him it was Drago.  
  
"Snake! Meryl! Don't move!"  
  
Snake and Meryl stopped. They stared at him. He began using his Directional Microphone to scan the area ahead. He heard heavy breathing, as if from an injured man. He also heard slight hissing in those breaths. He thought it might be a guard, until he caught the faint scent of fish. Drago had been eating fish before they fought. Raiden put up his D. Mic., and took out his grenades.  
  
"Drago." He mouthed to his partners.  
  
They cautiously crept forward. Raiden pulled the pin from a grenade, and ran ahead, jumped, and threw the grenade down a hall to the left. Something knocked the grenade back at him.  
  
"NOT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Raiden was harshly thrown into a wall upside down by the blast. Snake could swear he saw stars spinning around Raiden's head. Snake and Meryl ran ahead, and aimed their guns down the left hall. They saw nothing. Snake remembered his encounter with Vamp, and looked up. Drago was resting on top of the pipes, exhausted, bleeding, and. snoring.  
  
"What the?"  
  
Snake lead his sight down, and saw his tail swinging back and forth. Apparently, Raiden accidentally threw the grenade into the tail, and nearly blew himself up. Snake got out the Coolant spray he brought in case of an emergency, and sprayed Raiden's face to wake him up.  
  
"Ow! My head."  
  
"I think you should've waited before attacking kid."  
  
Snake pointed out that Drago was sound asleep. Raiden could picture 'Z's above his head.  
  
"Okay. I guess I did jump the gun. Which way?"  
  
Snake looked down both halls. The right hall lead to a door with a security lock level 1.  
  
"Left."  
  
As they went down the left, a familiar figure watched them go. Then he became attracted to the blood oozing from Drago's wounds. He went to taste it, but Drago quickly grabbed him by the neck, and was squeezing hard.  
  
"Don't even think about it."  
  
Then Drago released Vamp from his grip, and yawned a bit. Vamp was curious.  
  
"You knew about them?" Vamp asked, referring to Snake and the others.  
  
"I did. Why?"  
  
"And you knew they could have killed you."  
  
"Not even Snake is coldhearted. They wouldn't have killed me."  
  
"But that one.Raiden. tried to kill you."  
  
". So I may be wrong in saying no humans are completely without 'compassion' in war. Then again. I can tell he's holding back. He nearly killed me before, and he was intentionally acting inexperienced. But he forgot to feign compassion. I heard his chat with 'her'. He wanted to kill me. She wanted me to live."  
  
Drago's eyes watered slightly. Vamp was sure that there was someone that cared about him, and that fate had put them on opposite sides in war. Vamp knew he saw a rare thing in Drago. Love.  
  
"Drago?"  
  
Drago immediately snapped back to reality. He hid what he had showed easily and quickly. He showed no sign of having portraying any emotion but anger.  
  
"What?"  
  
Vamp brought a ration out from his coat.  
  
"I had a feeling you could use this."  
  
".Thanks."  
  
Drago took the ration, and devoured it. Vamp felt slightly better since making friends with the new Foxhound. It especially made him feel better receiving something from Drago rarely shown at all. gratitude.  
  
Snake, Meryl, and Raiden were ready to fight as they entered the room. They had heard screams coming from inside. When they entered, they were surprised at all the different plants. They saw roses, magnolias, shrubs, trees [some actually full grown to boot.], daisies.even weeds!  
  
"AAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
They saw a thin man run by, with black hair, and a lab coat. Then they saw a familiar face. Firefly.  
  
"DAMN YOU PETER!!!!!!!!!!! YOU RUINED MY BEST ROSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
They didn't understand what was going on. Then the black haired man, 'Peter', ran by them, and dove behind a rock. Then Firefly noticed his new 'guests'.  
  
"Well. if it isn't the fiery red head. I see you brought your playthings along."  
  
"SHUT UP BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
They had their guns drawn and aimed at Firefly's head. Firefly laughed.  
  
"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have the same endurance nanomachines you do. A headshot wouldn't kill me. It'd cause more harm than anything else, but one won't kill me."  
  
Then Firefly held up his flashlight.  
  
"See this? This light will guide you to the afterlife!"  
  
///////////////////////////////  
  
Dr. Wily: Why did I agree to do anything for you to again?  
  
Beelzemon: Because all your robot masters ran off on you and I know where they went.  
  
Dr. Light: Wily, I can't see why you had to make Bass crazy over girls.  
  
(Then Forte's eyes snapped open, overriding his shut down, and pointed his blaster at Light's head.)  
  
Forte: IT'S FORTE GOD DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
(Then Beelzemon punches him in the face, knocking him out in his weakened condition.)  
  
Beelzemon: I can't wait until they fix him. 


	8. The heat is on...

Well. I guess I should update this.  
  
//////////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 7 - The heat is on.  
  
Snake, Raiden, and Meryl went in different directions. Firefly couldn't chase all three of them.  
  
"Oh. So THAT'S your game."  
  
Firefly took out a couple of napalm grenades, and threw them randomly. Raiden jumped as one burst open behind him. He looked back, and wondered why the plants weren't catching fire. He decided to call Otacon.  
  
Otacon, why aren't the plants catching fire?   
  
They've been biologically engineered without the plant oils. Normally, they need them or they can't be pollinated, but for some reason, his fireflies pollinated them.   
  
Weird.   
  
Raiden, his endurance nanomachines aren't like yours. They can be jammed by chaff. Fire at him after dispersing chaff.   
  
Raiden was glad he called.  
  
"SNAKE!!! USE CHAFF!!!!! HIS ENDURANCE NANOMACHINES ARE JAMMED BY CHAFF!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Tattle tale!"  
  
Firefly then sprayed oil around Raiden, and ignited it, trapping him in a blaze. Snake threw a chaff grenade, and Meryl fired at Firefly. Firefly ducked the shot, and threw a napalm grenade at them. Both were hit, and trapped within flames.  
  
"Didn't even need my light."  
  
Raiden was angry. He wouldn't die like this. However, he couldn't see through the smoke.  
  
"I can't believe I'll die like this."  
  
Absentmindedly, he reached for his hair. He removed the wig, revealing his true hair. He looked like a young Liquid now; save for the fact his hair was ruffed and spiky from being under the wig so long. Raiden refused to go out like this. He raised his gun, and fired.  
  
"AAAAUUUUGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Firefly began to feel drowsy. He hardly paid any attention to Raiden as he ran to Snake, despite the flames, and grabbed his Socom.  
  
"Go."  
  
The fireflies obeyed his command. They flew at Raiden, buzzing him, and distracting him. Raiden ignored them, and aimed at Firefly's head. His vision was obscured, but he knew he'd hit. He fired.  
  
"GGAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Firefly's scream was music to Raiden's ears. The flames around Snake and Meryl died down. They went over to Firefly, who was still alive. Firefly attempted to blind them, but Raiden snatched the flashlight from his hand.  
  
"I. no. . he-he-he-he-he-he.."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I won. BURN IN HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Firefly then dropped an unnoticed dead man's switch, which ignited a massive fire. The three rushed out the way they came in, and ran into the guy Firefly was chasing.  
  
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! . Oh, you're not Firefly."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Peter Cushing."  
  
"Yeah right."  
  
". Not THAT Peter Cushing! Geez. I get that kind of joke all the time."  
  
"Are you the designer of the new Metal Gear?"  
  
"You mean Aero? Yeah."  
  
"What's so special about it?"  
  
"It can fly, but you probably knew that. It's uses air particles to charge a laser though."  
  
". So you exchanged firepower for mobility?"  
  
"No. It can also causes tornados, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones. any natural disaster relating to weather. Even lightning, which is what the laser is. a prolonged lightning bolt."  
  
"Prolonged lightning bolt?"  
  
"Lightning reaches temperatures hotter than the sun's surface. However, they aren't sustained for long, which is why they aren't so dangerous. Aero can keep a lightning bolt going on a target for over a minute, longer than needed to melt anything."  
  
"Oh crap."  
  
"It's more devastating than a nuke, and guarantees destruction without fallout. That's what I designed it for. However, its armor is very thin. Gunfire can penetrate it.. If you can hit it. The design was for resistance to heat, not weapons."  
  
". Why do I have a feeling you don't just mean it's laser?" Snake asked.  
  
". It can fly at mach 4 if given the room."  
  
"Oh SHIT!!!!!!"  
  
"YOU'RE TALKING TOO MUCH, PETE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
They turned to face Falcon just as he a circular object at Peter. It flew by Peter, and embedded itself in the wall. Then a spurt of blood from Peter's neck proved it decapitated him. Peter slumped to the ground, and his head rolled until it hit Falcon's feet. Meryl saw what the object was. A metal circular saw blade.  
  
"GAAAHHHHH!!!!!!" She screamed in fright and disgust.  
  
"Did I scare your girl, guys?"  
  
They aimed their guns at him. Then they saw a flash of light in front of them. Then the guns shattered.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL??????"  
  
They noticed the icy aura around Falcon's hands. Then they realized he froze the guns.  
  
"I don't want to fight you."  
  
Then Falcon walked past them, straight into the still blazing forest. They were confused. Then Rose called.  
  
Jack, I found the information about Falcon. He can mimic the abilities of video game villains, but he rarely fights. He's more like a killing machine. He will avoid combat if possible, and he also has a strange attraction to specific video games according to this.   
  
This is Snake. What are those games? Maybe your boyfriend can help us out.   
  
Very funny Snake, but there's a difference between VR and video games.   
  
I've played a lot of video games. Meryl said.  
  
In the base, Snake and Raiden stared at her.  
  
What?   
  
Okay. He seems attracted to Mega Man games. It doesn't make sense, but.   
  
Then Meryl interrupted.  
  
I KNEW I saw that metal blade attack before! He was mimicking Metal Man!   
  
They stared at her again.  
  
Meryl, why the interest in games? Snake asked.  
  
Well, it's something to help me forget about. you know.   
  
Oh.   
  
Well, who else did you notice? Otacon asked.  
  
The speed and boomerangs were Quick Man, and I think the ice attack was either Ice Man, Frost Man, Freeze Man, or Blizzard Man.   
  
. How many villains are there in that series?   
  
. I didn't bother to count. there were too many.   
  
Snake and Raiden sighed. This could be trouble.  
  
////////////////////////////////  
  
Well, Meryl IS playful.. Forte, can I borrow your anti-flame shield?  
  
Forte: No, but you can borrow my Anti fire battle chip. 


	9. Questions yet to be answered

YO!!!!!!! WAKE UP FOLKS!!!!!!! HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Forte: . I'm going to kill you for waking me up.  
  
//////////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 8 - Another encounter with Drago.  
  
Otacon, is there an armory in this place? Snake asked.  
  
Let's see.. There's one beyond a level one door back down the hall.   
  
. We don't have a level one card.   
  
Raiden began searching Peter's body.  
  
"Don't you have any respect for the dead?" Meryl asked, disgusted.  
  
".When the lives of millions are on the line, I hardly think. BINGO!!!!!!"  
  
Raiden held up a level one security card with Peter's I.D. on it. Then he knocked two more level one cards out of his pocket. They had yet to have an I.D. printed on them.  
  
"Well, looks like our lucky day. He was going to write up a couple new cards for guards apparently."  
  
Raiden handed his two partners a card. Since Meryl was bugging him about respecting the dead, she gave him Peter's.  
  
"That's not funny."  
  
They went back to the level one door, and walked in. They were in the mess hall Meryl had been captured in.  
  
Otacon, exactly WHERE is the armory? Raiden asked.  
  
. Whoops. I was reading the plans for B1. You're on 1F. Sorry.   
  
They sighed. Without weapons, they'd have to play the stealth game, and they weren't sure where they'd find anything they could use to.  
  
"Hold it!"  
  
Raiden noticed something moving behind a counter. Then they saw a tail flip upward.  
  
"Drago. not now. I only have one grenade." Raiden sighed.  
  
Then Raiden got an idea.  
  
"Snake. You take it."  
  
".Oh. right."  
  
Raiden remembered Snake's bandana. Snake took point, and they slowly walked around to where Drago was hiding. When they saw what he was doing, they were repulsed. He was devouring one of the guards that was still fairly intact after Firefly's fit over his garden. He even seemed to LIKE it. Meryl was so nauseated she gave them away.  
  
"OH SICK!!!!!!!"  
  
Drago looked up, and had a hungry look in his eyes. Then he jumped, and they scattered. Snake threw a grenade at Drago, who dodged it, and then lunged at Snake. He was rewarded with a grenade blast in his face, and was thrown into the wall.  
  
". I thought he said he only had one grenade."  
  
Snake couldn't resist. He pointed to his bandana.  
  
"Infinite ammo."  
  
Drago just stared at him, puzzled. Then he got up, and was going to attack until he smelled something. Whatever it was, it took precedence over the battle, because he completely ignored the mercenaries, and followed the smell outside the mess hall. The non-human creature then took one look down a hall, and jumped. He then ran back into the mess hall, ran past the mercenaries, and left by the way back to the prison cells.  
  
". What got into him?"  
  
The three hide before the door opened again. Then they heard a familiar voice.  
  
"Hello? Hello?"  
  
"Mei Ling? What the hell are you doing here?" Meryl asked.  
  
Snake looked up. It was Mei Ling. The mercenaries got up, and walked up to her, wanting an answer.  
  
"I have some business here. but I brought a couple things just in case."  
  
She led them to an abandoned hanger, where she and her friend set up some equipment.  
  
"Who're they, Mei Leeng?"  
  
"Pedro, these are those three that are here to stop the terrorists."  
  
"Oh. Good to see you, compadres."  
  
"Pedro is helping me get the Soliton radar working here. The base is designed so that it can't be set up from outside it. Oh."  
  
Mei Ling handed each of them some equipment she brought. Raiden got his H.F. blade, Meryl got her old Desert Eagle from Shadow Moses, and Snake got a Socom. Then Raiden dug around in his box.  
  
"I know it's in here. A-HA!!!"  
  
Raiden came out with a brown wig. That's when the others noticed his hair color.  
  
"What happened? Did the smoke wreck that sissy white hair of yours?" Snake joked.  
  
Raiden glared at him, and stored the wig.  
  
"What IS with the wig anyway?" Mei Ling asked.  
  
"Infinite ammo."  
  
Snake frowned.  
  
"Oh great. Now he'll be trigger happy."  
  
"Mei Ling, I have a question." Raiden said.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"What's the deal with you and Drago? When I called during my fight with him, you asked me not to kill him, and later, Drago fled after he saw you."  
  
Snake and Meryl then got interested.  
  
". She asked you not to kill that. THING??" Meryl said.  
  
"."  
  
While that went on, Drago was on top of the hanger, listening in. He looked like he was remembering something.  
  
/////////////////////////  
  
Forte: . Ow.. (Faints.)  
  
Beelzemon: . Thanks for the assist Bowser.  
  
Bowser: . don't ask me to help you fight him at this time of night again.  
  
Beelzemon: Why?  
  
(Bowser glares at Beelzemon, and wallops him over the head, knocking him out too.)  
  
Blues: . Sheesh. Good thing I'm spending the night here. or else your update wouldn't be completed. 


	10. Suspicions cast

Blues: To SSG. It's cool. I didn't expect that shot to work anyway. and thanks for the warning. but I expected that. you're buddies are a little kooky.  
  
Forte: . Uh. Blues? He's right here. and I'm still trying to help him. At least he has most of his sanity. Now look SSG. I think the problem is too much stress. you didn't take that vacation soon enough. you need some time alone, and away from the others. Also, that nasty stench you recall from a while ago. just your imagination. okay?  
  
SSG: . Okay.  
  
Forte: Now I'm going to try something new. how 'bout it?  
  
SSG: . What is it?  
  
Forte: Got the inspiration a while back. any animals you're particularly fond of?  
  
SSG: (Thinking).  
  
Blues: . This could take a while.  
  
Beelzemon: . Geez. I hate it when they use my living room as a treatment ward.  
  
//////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 9 - Suspicions cast.  
  
Mei Ling seemed a little nervous when she answered them.  
  
"Well. It's like the saying 'Do one good deed, and it will be repaid a thousand fold.' Showing a little mercy could benefit you."  
  
They decided they didn't have time to press her for an answer. They left, and went back into the fortress.  
  
"Snake? Is Mei Ling always that suspicious?" Raiden asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"I wonder what the deal is." Meryl said.  
  
They took a level one door in the hallway connecting to the mess hall. They wound up in a generator room.  
  
"Welcome to the greatest show on Earth!!!!!!!" A voice shouted, imitating a carnival barker.  
  
Then the generators came to life, shooting electricity in all directions. When the blasts hit the walls, they blasted like fireworks.  
  
"TONIGHT WILL BE A THREE ON ONE FIGHT!!!!!! THE CHALLENGERS, WEIGHING IN AT OVER THREE HUNDRED POUNDS TOTAL. ARE THE LEGENDARY SOLID SNAKE."  
  
Then a spotlight hits Snake.  
  
"What the hell?" He said.  
  
"MERYL SILVERBERGH, THE BEAUTIFUL, BUT DEADLY MERCENARY."  
  
Then the spotlight shines on her. She blushes.  
  
"AND A NEW FACE, KNOWN AS 'THE WHITE DEVIL', 'JACK THE RIPPER', AND HIS CURRENT NAME, RAIDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Then the spotlight shines on Raiden. He's visibly upset. putting it mildly.  
  
"HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THAT????????????" He demanded.  
  
Raiden did his best to hide his past since the Big Shell. The only ones SUPPOSED to know that were himself, and Rose. but she only knew 'Jack the Ripper'. Aside from that, no one knew. or so he thought.  
  
"MY BOY, THE BARKER'S _ SUPPOSED _ TO KNOW WHAT HE'S BARKING ABOUT!!!!!!!! AND THE CHAMPION, WEIGHING IN A ONE HUNDRED THIRTY EIGHT POUNDS."  
  
Then the spotlight shines on a figure previously hidden in the dark. The microphone in his hands gives a hint about who the barker was.  
  
"Me."  
  
Then Dynamo throws the microphone toward a generator. It's fried by the electric field around the generator. Then Dynamo walks straight toward the mercenaries, between the two generators. Then Dynamo activates a hands- free microphone he's wearing.  
  
"HERE ARE THE RULES." He began to imitate a referee, " The champ has a home ground advantage. He can approach the generators without harm. You unfortunately, can't. Without any way to divert the power that is. you'd be fried like the Mic. Also, the power coming from the generators is interfering with the radar. It's worthless. Even if you're not using the 'limited' radar."  
  
Snake knew what he meant. The nanomachines they had could provide radar with limited range. It was limited to the room they were in, and only within a few feet of the user. Worse yet, it wouldn't tell you which way a guard was looking. Luckily, Mei Ling got the Soliton Radar working.  
  
"READY???? FIGHT!!!!!!"  
  
Dynamo snapped his yo-yo towards the three. They dodged them, but Raiden had assumed he could cut between the generators. He was electrocuted, and thrown into the wall.  
  
"Barely five seconds, and you already forgot that rule."  
  
Raiden got a call.  
  
Raiden! This is Miller. I have an idea. The H.F. blade you have might be able to deflect the electricity he fires, like a bat deflects a baseball. When he fires, try hitting it back at him.   
  
I'll try that if our other weapons don't work.   
  
Raiden signed off, and realized that Miller had a point. With all that electricity, it'd be a lot like fighting Fortune again. Snake fired a shot, but the bullet was pulled toward a generator. Raiden saw Miller's point. Then he had an idea.  
  
"The champ? HA!!! He can't fight without his precious generators!!!!!"  
  
Dynamo started to get mad.  
  
"SHUT UP AND FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Dynamo snapped his bladed yo-yo at Raiden, who jumped to the side, and used his sword to cut the string.  
  
"DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Raiden's plan worked. Without the yo-yo, he had no choice but to fire electric blasts. Dynamo punched his gauntlets together, and energy started flowing to them. Then he fired at Raiden, who batted the energy away. His aim was off, and it hit a lighting fixture on the ceiling. Dynamo was stunned at the move.  
  
"How did."  
  
Then the fixture fell, and hit Dynamo on the head.  
  
"{OOFFFFFFF} BLAST YOU!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Meryl took the chance to borrow a grenade Snake had, and throw it towards Dynamo. It stuck to his power pack. The blast happened, but all the shrapnel was stuck on the generators. It still hurt Dynamo though.  
  
"THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Dynamo blasted Snake, and knocked Meryl out. Then he stomped towards Raiden, and grabbed him, electrocuting him at close range.  
  
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! {Groan} Won't this {Grunt} kill you too?"  
  
"He-he-he. I LOVE THE FEEL OF ELECTRICITY SURGING THROUGH ME!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Raiden was losing consciousness fast. Then he has another idea.  
  
"{Groan} Goodbye.."  
  
Raiden threw his sword towards the generators. Like he hoped, it had one end stuck to one, and the other end on the other generator. That would either ground them both down, or destroy the base with a massive power surge. Either way, it was a win-win situation. Dynamo noticed what he did, and dropped Raiden. He ran toward the sword, and grabbed it to try and get rid of it. Despite loving the feel of electricity, this was far too much of it. He screamed in pain, since his gauntlets lacked insulation for protection. Raiden stood up, and woke his partners up. They got up in time to witness the generators, which would have exploded, lose power, and Dynamo's skeleton hang limply from the sword. The sword itself had 'welded' to the generators and Dynamo.  
  
"So much for a good sword. Thank God Miller's advice worked."  
  
Snake heard him.  
  
"WHAT???"  
  
Raiden realized what he said.  
  
"Uh."  
  
"Tell me what you said!!!!"  
  
Snake slammed Raiden into a wall.  
  
"Okay. Miller called me a while back, and said that he wanted to surprise you. what's wrong with that?"  
  
"WHAT'S HIS FREQUENCY????????"  
  
"140.68."  
  
Snake called that frequency.  
  
Raiden? What do you need?   
  
DAMN YOU LIQUID!!!! PULLING THAT STUNT AGAIN????????   
  
Liquid knew his little facade had ended. He removed the sunglasses, and undid the ponytail. Meryl and Raiden were watching with their Codecs.  
  
I WAS TALKING TO LIQUID???????   
  
Sorry to disappoint you boy, but you were useful.   
  
But why help us?   
  
You'll know everything soon enough.   
  
Then Liquid disconnected his Codec, and switched the frequency. Snake looked up at Raiden, with a murderous glare in his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was Liquid."  
  
Snake sighed.  
  
"Great. we have a problem. did you call him?"  
  
"NO! He called me."  
  
Snake banged his fist against the wall.  
  
"Perfect. the only way he could've gotten your frequency is."  
  
". A SPY??????"  
  
///////////////////////////  
  
SSG: .  
  
Blues: . Can't you hurry him up?  
  
Forte: He has to trust me. The human mind is fragile. rushing this could cause him irreparable harm. He has to trust me with this. and I'll wait until he trusts me with what animal he likes best. Just so long as it exists. heck. even if it's extinct, this could still work.  
  
Beelzemon: I am NOT going to ask. 


	11. Guns and Roses pun intended

HEY HO!!!!! For the fans of my fan fiction, you can expect me to remain right here, despite so many writers leaving. My fics shouldn't be affected. Anyway, for those of you leaving just so you can write fan fiction outside the bounds of this 'court', I heard of a site called www.fandomination.net. Be warned though. I doubt many writers are going to leave. I ain't one of 'em until they mess with my fics big time.  
  
By the way, if anyone reports me for disobeying the 'grammar' rule of 'Writer's etiquette', there is no good reason for doing so. some people. and Digimon. prefer to break minor rules of grammar. Plus if my fics get booted off the site, I WILL move on to that other site. Oh, and for jerks like Alex Warlorn. and he was NOT trying to help my fics. he was criticizing for the heck of it. anyway, for jerks like him, don't purposely try to make me leave like that. Or I'll stay, and make my new fics IMPOSSIBLE to find fault in under the new rules. and spite you. Plus my fic fans will get you back. Shockro once offered to virus someone who called me a 'chimp'.  
  
Anyway, I know this is a long intro, but I felt it necessary. Geez. you'd think the administrators wouldn't pull a stunt like this after the anniversary of 9/11. but then again, they wouldn't be administrators if they didn't do some down right detestable things.  
  
Chapter 10 - Guns and Roses (Pun intended.)  
  
Otacon? We have a problem. Snake told Otacon.  
  
Does it involve Master?   
  
Yeah.   
  
I thought so. I remembered that there was some reason to be suspicious of him. what was it?   
  
Liquid killed him prior to Shadow Moses, and impersonated him. He just pulled it on Raiden.   
  
Oh no. how'd he get his frequency?   
  
A spy seems to be the only way. and Mei Ling seems suspicious. why'd she come here herself to get the Radar working?   
  
That's something I want to talk to you about. but now's not the time. Anyway, the level one door in there other than the one you used leads down stairs to the armory I mentioned earlier.   
  
They head down the stairs. They find themselves in a large room with smaller rooms, much like Shadow Moses. It figured, since the design prevented fires from spreading and blowing the whole armory sky high. They found few doors with level one clearance. They each took one. Shortly, they met at an elevator that lead up. Meryl was checking her Fa-mas. Raiden had his M9 in a holster. Then Snake showed up with plenty of stun and chaff grenades. He willingly shared with the others. Then he took an AK and a M4 from behind him. He tossed Raiden the AK. It had a suppressor already equipped. Raiden checked to make sure it worked. Then the elevator came down, and two figures stepped out. One was a woman with hair like Wolf's, only red, with a tie dyed uniform. The other one was a man similar to Raiden in build, but his black hair covered half his face. He had a sable black rose in his hand.  
  
"Well. looks like we stepped into a trap." The woman said.  
  
"No matter."  
  
Then the woman raised her hands, and they seemed to melt away, leaving some kind of deformed bear in place. They fired at it, but the shots went through it. Then Snake caught on.  
  
"HOLD YOUR FIRE! IT'S SOME KIND OF ILLUSION!!!"  
  
Snake proved his point by sticking his hand through the bear. Then it disappeared, with no trace of the two except for a white rose with blood red tips on the petals.  
  
Rose, any information on them? Raiden asked.  
  
. According to this, they had to be Enigma and Rose Bane.   
  
Odd names.   
  
They're unique assassins. Enigma uses illusions to confound her targets while she uses real things to make the illusions complete. She drives her victims mad more often then kills them. Rose Bane is different. He always has a rose with him. In fact, the color tends to hint to his mood. He has bio genetically altered and enhanced plant seeds that.   
  
What's he going to do? Use his green thumb to whack us to death? Meryl joked.  
  
Well, actually, he also keeps some kind of special soil with him. Separate, they're pretty normal, but together, weird plants seem to grow. One report says that a victim bled to death from deep puncture wounds inflicted by a rose bush that attacked him.   
  
. Where's the weed killer when you need it? Raiden joked.  
  
He also leaves behind a rose after encountering people. If the rose is white with red tips, he plans to kill who he meet.   
  
They looked at the rose. There were actually three roses. They were all white with red tips.  
  
Oh great.   
  
Also, rumor has it that he provided Firefly with the specialized plants in his garden.   
  
. So he's probably going to try and stop us in that room when the fire goes out. Snake said.  
  
Be careful Jack.   
  
They signed off. Then the elevator came back down, and they took it up to the first floor. They were shocked. Rose bushes with vines extended from them were strangling some stray guards that were here before the terrorists arrived. They could see their necks bleeding from the thorns. One of them saw them.  
  
"HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET THE NAPALM GRENADES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Meryl remembered a door that was labeled 'incendiary weapons'.  
  
"BUT THAT DOOR'S LEVEL TWO!!!!!!!"  
  
The guard threw her a level two card.  
  
"HURRY!!!!!!!!"  
  
Meryl rushed back down the elevator, and went into the room. She grabbed a couple napalm grenades, and went back up. Then she threw one, and the plants were ignited, and withered away. The guard then rested against the wall.  
  
"Thank you. wait. you aren't with them are you?????"  
  
"No. we came here to destroy the Metal Gears." Raiden told him.  
  
". As long as you aren't with those freaks, I don't care. My buddies over there." he points to four other guards, who are dead now, "They have level two cards as well."  
  
Meryl hands the guard back his card. Then they each take a card from the dead guards. The living guard then begins sleeping. They decide not to wake him, and went back to the armory with their new cards. They didn't notice that Rose Bane was watching from above.  
  
"They did away with my precious flowers. but next time."  
  
Then Rose Bane threw his black rose at the guard's head. It embedded into his skull easily, and began to suck nutrients from his body.  
  
". They won't be so lucky."  
  
//////////////////////////////  
  
Two new foes, and both have some sly tricks in their bags. this spells trouble. 


	12. Virtual Nightmare

Forte: . Um. I have a letter addressed to Super Spy Guy from Magus. (Tears open letter and reads.) 'Pathetic. First of all, your defenses are meager, and shall be no trouble for us to elude. Also, Spy Guy's baby videos won't affect us either. we've been trained to resist mental torture.' . Huh? How?  
  
Mosinwrath: . Well, that might have to do with me.  
  
Forte: . Who are you?  
  
Mosinwrath: . My name is.  
  
Forte: Forget it. Looks like I'll have to reveal my newest trick to save their butts.  
  
(Forte powers up until his armor changes color. The black becomes white, and the yellow becomes gold.)  
  
Forte: . Time for Final Forte to take a stand.  
  
Mosinwrath: . Just for the record, how powerful are you?  
  
Final Forte: Imagine Ghaleon, Magus, Sephiroth, Hiro, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin, Trunks, Goten, Gohan, Alex, Ronfar, Nash, Mia, Jessica, Lemina, Lucia, Luna, Frieza, Cell, Bowser, Kyle, Zero, Blues, Cloud, Cid, Zell, Vincent, Aeris, Yuffie, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Squall, Selphie, Irvine, Seifer, you, and a heck of a lot of others combined. then double it fifty times.  
  
Mosinwrath: MY GAUNTLET CAN'T MATCH THAT!!!!!!!!!! (Faints.)  
  
(Final Forte goes to help SSG.)  
  
Beelzemon: . (Faints.)  
  
Blues: . I knew. There's a fatal flaw with Final Forte though. but I'm not telling. Anyway, since these two bozos fell asleep, I'm piloting yet another chapter.  
  
Chapter 11 - Virtual Nightmare.  
  
The three each took some sort of flame causing weapon. Meryl stuck to napalm grenades, while Snake took an acetylene torch. Raiden took a miniature flamethrower, like the one Firefly used. He'd rather have his sword back, but if they were going to fight Rose Bane, they'd need these. Then they went back up, and took a level two door to wind up in a giant VR arena. Raiden recognized it as the shape of the one that he fought the Rays in. In the center of the room was Falcon.  
  
"I've heard you figured out my addiction to the unreal."  
  
Falcon shrugged.  
  
". Well, you only know the tip of the iceberg."  
  
Then the whole room changed into what looked like a coliseum out of an old castle. Then two Falcons appeared, one was big and brawny, with a battle axe, and the other was the same height as the three were, but still muscular, although not as much as the other one.  
  
"TIME TO DIVE INTO TRUE HELL!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
The small one performed a superhuman flip over them, and landed behind them. Then the two Falcons charged from opposite sides. They ducked down, and each picked a Falcon to shoot at. They both yelped in pain. Only the regular sized one remained. Then the floor froze over, and Falcon started skating around. They aimed as best they could, but he was moving too fast. They stood up, and slipped. Falcon then skated up to them.  
  
"Does Jack Frost's antics leave you cold?"  
  
They noticed he was dressed in blue tights with an ice pattern now, and had a blue cap with a silver bell at the end. He could pass for Jack Frost. Then he started sliding around again. Snake fired his M4, and discovered that the recoil sent him sliding around. Then Raiden tried his flamethrower to melt the ice, but Falcon blew on the flames, and they froze.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL???????"  
  
"Even flames can freeze here."  
  
Then Snake managed to hit Falcon. He again screamed in pain, and the scene changed again. This time it was a bridge over a deep pit, and Falcon was dressed somewhat like a blue ninja.  
  
"ENDOKUKEN!!!!!!"  
  
They ducked as a fireball zipped over their heads. They didn't expect him to do a sailing jump kick to get close after it. He knocked Raiden off the bridge, and he was hanging on for his life. Meryl then kicked Falcon in the groin. He groaned in pain. Then the scene changed again. This time, to a hanger, with Falcon piloting Metal Gear Rex. The beak was open.  
  
". Geez, how long is he going to keep this up????" Meryl asked.  
  
Then she was hit by Vulcan fire. She lied on the floor, using a ration.  
  
"WE DON'T HAVE STINGERS!!!!!!! HOW ARE WE GOING TO STOP HIM???????" Raiden shouted.  
  
"Our guns can't reach him!!!"  
  
"THAT'S JUST."  
  
Then Rex was about to stomp on them.  
  
/////////////////////////////////  
  
Blues: . Geez. Falcon sure knows his games. 


	13. Mysterious savior?

Magus: . I hate Forte for that.  
  
Sephiroth: Well, I think I know what his flaw is.  
  
Mosinwrath: What?  
  
Sephiroth: With that kind of power, he's on the verge of a meltdown. I noticed his fins dripping apart in our battle with him.  
  
Ghaleon: . Yes. I saw that too.  
  
Magus: Also, a couple of his ki balls he formed to fire at us exploded in his hands. He's too powerful, and THAT'S his weakness.  
  
Mosinwrath: . DAMN! I GOT THE OLD MAID AGAIN!!!!!  
  
Ghaleon: . hold on. (Adjusts camera viewing them.) It looks like Puppetmon messed with Beelzemon's fan fiction camera again. (Adjusts the camera.)  
  
Frog: HELL~O MY BABY.  
  
(Static, and it's back on Ghaleon.)  
  
Magus: Beelzemon uses channel nine on the camera, with the frequency 489.62  
  
(Ghaleon adjusts the frequency again.)  
  
//////////////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 12 - Mysterious savior?  
  
Just as the giant mech was about to step down, Falcon screamed out in pain. The three saw a shadowy figure on a crate with a sniper rifle. They had shot Falcon in the head. The arena changed again, and the figure turned to run. Falcon threw a net at the stranger. Snake took the chance while the VR was off to shoot Falcon. He screamed as the bullet hit his arm. He slumped to the ground, and started crying. Then his VR illusion flickered off, and his true self was revealed. He was probably around twelve. His fake appearance was of an older version of himself. Meryl went up to him.  
  
"A boy?"  
  
Raiden and Snake followed suite. Falcon kicked Snake in the groin.  
  
"UGH!!!!! YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Fitting."  
  
They were stumped as to why he'd agree with the insult. Then he took out a dictionary. Raiden read where Falcon opened it.  
  
"Let's see. 'Bastard - n. 1. An illegitimate child 2. A mean, despicable person.' So that's what you meant? An illegitimate child?" Raiden said.  
  
Falcon looked at the dictionary.  
  
"No! That's the wrong one. although that could be fitting too."  
  
I looked it up. He probably means that he never knew his parents. Otacon said.  
  
The poor boy. Rose added.  
  
"SHUT UP!!!!!!!!" Falcon yelled suddenly.  
  
Snake and the others were confused. Then it hit them.  
  
"You can hear our Codec calls?"  
  
"I'm the only one who can in our group, but yes."  
  
HE WHAT???????? Everyone back with Otacon yelped.  
  
"He-he. I didn't tell the others. It's one of my trade secrets."  
  
Then Raiden realized something.  
  
"This could be a trap."  
  
"Why would I? You ruined my VR system." Falcon said as he gestured to part of a network of wires and controls running along his body. One of the panels had a bullet hole in it.  
  
Snake pointed his gun at Falcon's head.  
  
"Just in case."  
  
Then Raiden went to the net where their savior had been. Whoever it was, they were gone.  
  
"Huh? What's that?"  
  
Snake pointed to odd tissue he could see in the wound inflicted earlier.  
  
"AMT. The same thing in Metal Gear Ray. The butchers that put it in damaged my nerves. they're all extra sensitive now."  
  
"Why so friendly all of a sudden?"  
  
"Look. My VR was destroyed, I'm barely able to ignore the pain in my arm, and whoever saved your damn asses is probably still around here. Plus I don't have any rations. And the small fact that I twisted my ankle running into the closing gate earlier."  
  
Snake checked for weapons. Falcon's only weapon was the VR, and it was damaged. However, he did find a notebook.  
  
"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!!!"  
  
Snake looked through it. There were notes about them. Falcon wrote that Meryl was naïve and immature, Snake was dangerous but reckless at times, and that Raiden was _ NEVER _ to be underestimated. Snake chuckled.  
  
"You were afraid of THAT weak, simple mind fool?"  
  
Raiden glared at Snake, and thought about using his M9 on him.  
  
"I have hidden cameras around here. I've been watching you three. Besides, if he IS a weak, simple-minded fool, then what does that make you two since he's the only one that avoided capture?"  
  
Snake shut up.  
  
"I thought so. Oh yeah!"  
  
Falcon pointed towards a couple crates behind him.  
  
"You're equipment you had before capture is in those crates, along with some AK's and three BDU outfits."  
  
"So we can disguise as terrorists?" Meryl asked.  
  
"Yeah, but they're all the same size, and I doubt you can even get into them."  
  
". Well, at least the AK's will help."  
  
"Why are you helping us?"  
  
"I'd rather NOT have my brains splattered on the floor, thank you very much."  
  
Then Falcon opened a floor panel, and took out a wireless keyboard. He began to play, but with one arm, it wasn't very good. Snake and Meryl took AK's with suppressors, and the three moved on. In the shadows, the figure from earlier stepped out, and aimed the sniper rifle at Falcon. Falcon's eyes glinted with recognition.  
  
"I know you. from the VR I took. You're."  
  
But he never finished. The figure fired, and he fell onto his keyboard, which made it screech from all the keys being pressed. The figure lifted him off the keyboard, and took a level 3 card off of him. Then the figure smirked, with her blonde hair hanging down over her face.  
  
"I shall have my prey after all."  
  
Then she took the hair out of her face, and smirked. She thanked Dynamo for keeping his revival of her secret. She didn't want Snake to know by ANY means. Then the light previously blocked by her hair lighted her face. It was Sniper Wolf.  
  
/////////////////////////////  
  
Ghaleon: I saw that coming.  
  
Magus: Ditto.  
  
Sephiroth: Ghaleon. the camera's watching us again.  
  
(Ghaleon adjusts the camera one last time. Then we find Jack Frost using the pendent to return the Manticore to an ice sculpture, with Spy Guy trapped in it.) 


	14. Calm before the storm

Okay, I admit I'm a bit of a comedian, but this IS a serious fic. However. that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun.  
  
By the way, since this isn't important to the story, there's no chapter number. Now, on with. "THE HUMOROUS LIQUID INTERLUDE!!!!!!!!"  
  
Zero: . that's not true.  
  
Beelzemon: . Oh yeah, it has some info.  
  
//////////////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 13 - Calm before the storm.  
  
Liquid was easily upset. Snake had spoiled his plans with Raiden. Now he'd need to think of a new plan.  
  
"Liquid?"  
  
Liquid looked up from staring at the coffee table to see Vamp coming into the room.  
  
"What is it now?"  
  
"I'm a bit concerned. Dynamo and Firefly were killed by them."  
  
"I know. but I'm more concerned about who killed Falcon."  
  
Then Shadow chimed in. They looked up to see him performing sit-ups with his legs tied to the ceiling.  
  
"Master, why? The cameras revealed that he betrayed you."  
  
"But who was it that killed him?"  
  
Liquid slowly sipped his tea. It was still a bit hot. He set it down.  
  
"Any news on Drago?" Liquid asked Shadow.  
  
Vamp seemed confused.  
  
"For some strange reason, he's afraid of a woman who came here to set up a Soliton Radar."  
  
Liquid, who was sipping his tea again, did a spit take, soaking the table.  
  
"WHAT??????????????"  
  
Shadow noticed his concern, and unhooked his legs to drop down to the floor.  
  
"He's afraid of this woman." He said as he handed Liquid a photo.  
  
Liquid recognized the photo.  
  
"Mei Ling? Of all people, why's Drago afraid of her?"  
  
Then Rose Bane walked in with a watering can. He walked to plants in the windowsill, which showed a view of the ground a long way down. He watered the flowers, and they quickly sprouted to life.  
  
"I think I know." He said.  
  
Liquid smirked.  
  
"Let's hear it."  
  
"I had rigged a few of my plants with listening devices hidden in the petals. it picked him up mumbling something about 'her'. I have a feeling he knows her from somewhere."  
  
Liquid frowned. He sat back, and began to think.  
  
'This is worse then the whole fiasco at Shadow Moses. I have one lovesick. Uh. Lovesick. well, whatever he is, he's lovesick. Worse yet, I again have a mysterious enemy hiding for now, and from watching the Big Shell events unfold, I know that both Snake and Raiden have infinite ammo. How that's possible, I don't want to know, but it spells trouble.'  
  
Then Liquid raised his cup of tea to his mouth to drink. Then it shattered, scalding him with hot tea.  
  
"GAAHH!!!!!!!! WHO FIRED??????????"  
  
Then someone walked into the room, with a sniper rifle in hands. She looked at Liquid.  
  
"Sorry. I didn't know the tea was still hot. I didn't see steam coming from it."  
  
Liquid recognized her.  
  
".Wolf? SNIPER WOLF??? HOW????"  
  
Wolf smiled.  
  
"Dynamo had revived me around the time Snake killed Raven."  
  
Liquid thought about it. It'd explain why her body turned up missing.  
  
"Well, at least you're back."  
  
Vamp, Shadow, and Rose Bane got the wrong idea.  
  
"Um. Master? I'll be going now."  
  
"Me too. I mean, if you two want some time alone, we'd."  
  
Both Liquid and Wolf caught on. Friends, they were, but lovers, they weren't. not yet anyway. They both sighed as the others left.  
  
"Liquid, I have a surprise for you." Wolf told him.  
  
".What?"  
  
Wolf led Liquid to the heliport on the 46th floor. A Hind D was sitting there, with some slight modifications.  
  
"It's how I got here. happy?"  
  
Liquid smirked.  
  
"Quite. Since we moved all the Stingers to the 30th floor armory, and safely behind a level 5 door, I think this time, they'll be sorry."  
  
"I'm glad to see you enjoy it. I'm going to take up position on the walkway."  
  
"Okay. Oh, and you might want this."  
  
Liquid tossed her some body armor. She smiled, and headed off to the walkway, putting the body armor on along the way. Liquid inspected the Hind. It had thicker armor plating, more missiles, and flares for Stingers. He felt quite ready to take on those three.  
  
///////////////////////////  
  
Zero: HEY! WHERE'S THE HUMOR????  
  
Beelzemon: I AIN'T DONE YET!!!!!!  
  
//////////////////////////  
  
Liquid was about to hop in, when his bowels rebelled. He rushed into the bathroom, and Rose Bane was washing his hands in there as he rushed into a stall.  
  
"Rose Bane?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You know that guy we hired during Shadow Moses, and is back with us?"  
  
"You mean Johnny Sasaki?"  
  
"That's him. he made ME sick."  
  
". Well, I WAS going to give him this tonic to fix it, but you need it more."  
  
". Also, leave him the pink slip, would you? All he does is sit on a toilet."  
  
///////////////////////////////////////  
  
Zero: WHAT????????? JOHHNY'S GETTING CANNED?????????????  
  
Beelzemon: .Okay, so this might not have turned out as well as I planned. 


	15. Bitter memories

Forte: Johnny's getting canned? Why?  
  
Beelzemon: He's already 'canned' if you think about it.  
  
Forte: . Ah. I get it. he's stuck in the can since there's no paper.  
  
////////////////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 14 - Bitter memories.  
  
"Geez. There's nothing behind ANY of the level one OR two doors." Meryl complained.  
  
"{Cough-cough.} All the vents are blocked off until we get some kind of explosive better than grenades. {Cough!}" Raiden said after jumping out of a vent.  
  
"None of the guards have any key cards higher than two." Snake added.  
  
"So we're stuck?" Meryl asked.  
  
"That's just damn great." Raiden commented, ".Wait. we could try to purposely get spotted. then the reinforcements will open the three doors to get in and."  
  
"No good. we shot out all the cameras, all the guards are dead, and the only place left to look is the bathrooms." Snake informed him.  
  
". Well. let's get cracking."  
  
"Huh?" Meryl and Snake said in unison.  
  
"Look, I'd rather check the bathrooms then just stand around."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Then they head into the Men's bathroom, and get a surprise.  
  
"HEY GUYS! HELP ME OUT HERE! THERE'S NO PAPER!"  
  
Meryl recognized the voice as the guy who she heard earlier. She decided to have a little fun.  
  
"How long have you been in there?" She asked in her best impersonation of a man's voice.  
  
". HOLY COW! ABOUT TWO AND A HALF HOURS ACCORDING TO MY WATCH!!!!!"  
  
"Well. I lost my level three card. if I help you, can I borrow yours?"  
  
Meryl knew it was a gamble, but.  
  
"Go ahead. in fact, I have five of 'em since some of the others gave them to me for safe keeping while they. um. finish up a few things."  
  
". How about three? My two buddies outside the room lost their cards too."  
  
"How did you do that?"  
  
Raiden decided to play along. He opened the door, pretending to walk in.  
  
"Hey Red?" Raiden said, obviously unable to think of a better name, "What's the hold up? Those magazines don't read themselves."  
  
Snake sighed, and leaned against the wall. As long as they could get further, he didn't care if they went so far as to start acting like Naomi and Otacon.  
  
'.What am I thinking? Of COURSE I care if they start acting like them. I'd rather fight ten Metal Gears at once then be bored to death.'  
  
Johnny replied to Raiden's little gag.  
  
". So you were with the others, huh? NOW I get it. you're cards fell out of your pockets, and down the gratings in that room with the pipes."  
  
Snake then remembered a bunch of guards in that room looking at magazines they put on the floor. Raiden obviously remembered that too.  
  
"Here's you're paper." Meryl said as she rolled it into Johnny's stall.  
  
Johnny then slid the cards out. The three picked them up. Then Meryl said something, dropping her male impersonation.  
  
"Even _ I _ don't think you need to suffer in there THAT long for calling me a bitch."  
  
Then they ran off and through a level three door as Johnny realized the same woman that caused his problem had just conned him out of the level three cards.  
  
"Oh-no."  
  
Back with our heroes, Snake had to comment on their game.  
  
"Did you HAVE to continue the impersonation after he told us he had level three cards?"  
  
"It was fun." Raiden said.  
  
"Besides. would YOU like it if you were stuck in the bathroom for two hours and then shot dead?" Meryl added.  
  
Snake had no reply. They continued on the walkway, and then Meryl collapsed as a bullet shot through her leg. Snake and Raiden took cover. Then they called Otacon.  
  
Otacon! Someone's firing at us, and we can't see them. Where are they? Snake asked.  
  
Otacon checked the wide range radar he was using to keep track of them.  
  
The only signal outside on that walkway is a long way down on it.   
  
Then someone cut in on his transmission.  
  
This is just like old times, right Snake?   
  
Both Snake and Otacon thought they knew the voice and the image of the woman's face being transmitted.  
  
Who is this?   
  
Do you know why I saved you from Falcon? You of all people should know Snake. After all. you're my special prey.  
  
Then it hit them.  
  
WOLF? IMPOSSIBLE!   
  
Is that right? I wonder then. how Liquid is back.  
  
Wolf? Otacon asked weakly, Wolf? YOU'RE ALIVE! THANK GOD YOU'RE ALIVE! I.  
  
QUIET! Snake. I'm surprised. bringing a boy along.  
  
HEY! Raiden shouted.  
  
Well then. let's see if you can be of any help to him, shall we?   
  
Then she cut transmission.  
  
Otacon, where is there a sniper rifle?   
  
I. I won't tell you.  
  
///////////////////////////////////////  
  
That's right; Otacon's crush on Wolf hasn't died. Can they find one on their own?  
  
Forte: You'd think the nerd would learn. 


	16. Challenge of the ninja

Beelzemon: . Well what do you know? The radio room's more of a communications room. There's a computer with an Internet connection. I can update fan fiction, and notify people about the seriousness of the situation.  
  
Forte: (With his left arm and whole lower half missing.) . Damn. that. giant pile of bones.  
  
SSG: THOSE DAMN THINGS TOOK OVER _ MY _ CASTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND SMASHED MY AIR ESCAPE SHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Dack: We're stuck here?  
  
Forte: Not forever.  
  
Dark Maxim: (In raptor form, and tying on a bandage on his leg.) How could they be that strong? I know about some of those things, and they're more then twenty times their natural strength.  
  
(Shadow has bandages all over on his body, clear to his tail. He's sleeping. Solidus is making sure the safety is off on his PDW90, Raiden is guarding the door, with his AP sensor on, and Forte is attempting to reattach his legs.)  
  
Raiden: Damn! My AP sensor's going off!!!  
  
(Solidus gets his PDW90 ready, and aims at the door. Raiden opens it, and a tired and beaten Dark Raptor stumbles in.)  
  
Dark Raptor: Nothing.to.worry about. (Blacks out.)  
  
(Dark Maxim runs to her side.)  
  
Dark Maxim: THOSE DAMN ASSHOLES HURT HER!!!!!!! I'LL.AUGGGHHHH!!!!!!! (Holds leg in pain.)  
  
Beelzemon: You idiot!!!!! Didn't you say a poison barb impaled your leg? Quit moving so much or the poison will kill you.  
  
Raiden: The AP Sensor's going off again!  
  
Solidus: We'd better bar the door this time.  
  
(While they bar the door, Beelzemon works on a fan fic.)  
  
Forte: HOW CAN YOU THINK OF FAN FICTION AT A TIME LIKE THIS??????????  
  
Beelzemon: I can't let everybody back on terra firma get worried.  
  
////////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 15 - The challenge of the ninja.  
  
"Great.Otacon won't help us!"  
  
"Wait." Raiden suggested, "THE ARMORY!!!!!"  
  
"Good thinking."  
  
Raiden ran to the armory, while Snake did his best to drag Meryl out of the line of fire. He was shot a couple times, but nothing serious. Apparently Wolf hasn't taken her tranquilizers yet.  
  
  
  
"A-HA! A PSG1!!!!!"  
  
Raiden had been searching the armory, but until now, only found a few things. Raiden stored the weapon away, and began to head back to the walkway. A ninja star flew down from the ceiling, and embedded in the floor. Raiden drew his gun, and aimed it at Shadow.  
  
"FREEZE!!!!!!"  
  
"Is that any way to treat someone that saved your life?"  
  
Raiden didn't believe him.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Shadow blew a mysterious powder down the hallway, and IR beams became visible.  
  
".Why are you helping me?"  
  
"I know of your skill. and I wish to challenge you in battle. However. I know that you need to help your friends right now. But they can handle just fine for now. Snake got Meryl out of harm's way. Come with me."  
  
Shadow grabbed Raiden's arm, and pulled him up into a dojo like room. Then Shadow hopped away, and took a fighting position.  
  
"Now. Fight me or die!!!!!"  
  
Raiden took out his AK, and fired. Shadow deflected the bullets with his sword, and retaliated with a swarm of throwing stars. Raiden dodged them in time, and hide behind a pillar.  
  
Raiden! WHAT ARE YOU DOING????? YOU NEED TO HELP SNAKE AND MERYL!!!!!! Rose shouted.  
  
I'd love to. but Shadow just dragged me into battle. He also said Snake got Meryl to safety.  
  
You believe him?   
  
Rose, he's right. According to the radar, Snake and Meryl are safe behind a parapet. Mei Ling said.  
  
. Take care of Shadow, and help Snake.  
  
Otacon! I need info on Shadow!   
  
. Shadow is a ninja who can easily evade bullets and grenades. He normally fights in nocturnal conditions, but you're fighting him in a room lit with sunlight, and he can't hide in light as easily. Try exchanging fire when he throws the stars. It's like the simulation with Vamp. Shoot the stars down, and him in the process.  
  
Raiden was glad Otacon was helping now. He whipped around, and fired at Shadow. He couldn't get the timing right. He easily deflected the bullets. At this rate, he'd be dead.  
  
"Pathetic. I thought you'd be a challenge."  
  
Something in Raiden that had been suppressed for years snapped.  
  
"A challenge huh?" He said, in a different tone of voice.  
  
"?"  
  
"HERE'S YOUR CHALLENGE!!!!!!!!"  
  
Raiden jumped out from behind a pillar just as Shadow started to throw the stars, and fired at Shadow's head. Shadow went down quickly.  
  
".It's. It's. impossible."  
  
Shadow blacked out. Then Raiden shook out of it, and looked out the windows. He had a clear view of both ends of the walkway. If he could, he'd thank Shadow.  
  
///////////////////////////////  
  
Dark Maxim: We're out of supplies from the medical kit under the desk.  
  
Forte: (Although junky looking, has his legs back and functioning.) That means someone has to go to the infirmary, and get more supplies. and to the mechanics station.  
  
(Dark Raptor has some bandages on now, and is still unconscious. The others are drawing straws to see who'll go get the medical and mechanical supplies.)  
  
All: .  
  
Forte: . I'M IN NO CONDITION TO GO OUT THERE!!!!!!!  
  
SSG: No offense, but you DID get the long straw.  
  
Raiden & Solidus: Forget it.  
  
Solidus: We'll go.  
  
(They leave. Then the radio turns on.)  
  
Codehunter V/O: Hello? Anyone there?  
  
(Forte answers.)  
  
Forte: FORTE HERE!!!!! WHAT IS IT??????  
  
Codehunter V/O: I managed to get your pal Tengu Man to do a fly by view of the place. Most of the monsters are from the Castlevania series.  
  
(Everyone blinks.)  
  
Forte: FIGURES!!!!!!  
  
Codehunter V/O: There are also monsters from the Final Fantasy series, and from Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. Including some boss monsters.  
  
Forte: WHAT ABOUT HELP?????????  
  
Codehunter V/O: I tried that. the monsters repelled three attempts.  
  
Forte: DAMN!!!!!!!  
  
Codehunter V/O: That's not the worst part. Damien's up there.  
  
Dark Maxim: WE'VE NOTICED THAT, SHERLOCK!!!!!!!!  
  
Codehunter V/O: I'm not done. he turned the mass army of Marines sent up there to save you into monsters.  
  
Forte: THAT SICK BASTARD!!!!!!!!!  
  
(Forte becomes so ticked; he turns into Forte Omega, and is healed.)  
  
Forte Omega: . Finally a break. Wait a second. CODEHUNTER!!!!! GET A KASATKA UP TO THE CASTLE!!!!!!! LAND IT IN THE CASTLE COURTYARD!!!!! THERE AREN'T MANY MONSTERS THERE!!!!!!!!  
  
Codehunter V/O: Okay. Otacon's piloting though.  
  
Forte Omega: . FINE!!!!!! WE HAVE TO TRACK DOWN SURVIVORS THOUGH!!!!!!!!!  
  
Dark Raptor: Just.shut.up.  
  
Forte Omega: I have to shout or the radio won't pick it up. CODEHUNTER, I WANT INFO ON DAMIEN!!!!!!  
  
Codehunter V/O: WHY'RE YOU ASKING ME???????  
  
Forte Omega: YOU THOUGHT HIM UP!!!!!!!!!  
  
Codehunter V/O: . his name is Damien Wrexsoul. He enjoys causing pain and suffering to others. He is THE anti-hero. To him, heroes are nothing more than people posing as brave warriors, trying to set things right. He feels that they're just afraid to embrace darkness.  
  
Beelzemon: A GRADE A FRUIT CAKE IF YOU ASK ME!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Codehunter V/O: He can be downright heartless. and yet he can easily pretend to be nice.and unlike so many villains. he doesn't make the mistakes they do.  
  
Forte Omega: . THANKS A LOT FOR THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Codehunter V/O: Well. I never expected him to come to life. 


	17. Two threats

John Brown, I recommend that you shut up about mistakes. The periods where commas should be is when I'm trying to put three periods in a row to show hesitation. However, Fanfiction.net is dropping them down to one period. The capitalization I don't know what you mean. Vamp's too damn hard to figure out. remember that he always acted like Fortune would still be alive in the end. Oh, and Rose and 'Jack' weren't married in the last mission. She has to draw a line somewhere, or their kids will be cussing by age two.As per the 'skits'. Forte left to write his own fics, so I think things will quiet down.  
  
And I seriously hate you for spoiling the story.  
  
////////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 16 - Two threats.  
  
Raiden took aim, and fired. Wolf cried out in pain. This was too easy. he was right. She had body armor on. He had only alerted her. However, she wasn't about to risk her life to an unseen foe. She ran into the door on her side of the walkway, and locked the door. Raiden got up, and walked toward the hole in the floor. then he spotted Shadow's sword. He went over to it, and picked it up. He tested it. It was well balanced. He took it, and left.  
  
  
  
"Where were you, damn kid?"  
  
That upset Raiden.  
  
"Shadow stopped me. but I doubt he'll be able to do it again unless he's like Vamp."  
  
Raiden took a bandage out of his inventory, and used it on Meryl. Then he gave her a ration. She was soon well enough to continue on. They went down the walkway, and tried the door Wolf went through. It was locked, and it was a key style lock.  
  
"Let me."  
  
Raiden took out his lock pick kit again, and started working on the door. While he worked, they heard a rotor sound. Snake turned around, and saw a Hind-D coming at them.  
  
"Raiden.you'd better stop."  
  
Raiden and Meryl turned to look too.  
  
"Well Snake. looks like you've nowhere to run. DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Liquid fired a missile at the walkway, obliterating their only way back.  
  
"DAMN!!!!!"  
  
Meryl looked down the gap. They'd be killed for sure if they fell in there.  
  
"DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Liquid fired another missile. Raiden grabbed Snake and Meryl, and jumped off the side of the walkway opposite of the door they used to get here. They landed on a ledge not far below, with stairs leading down. They ran down them, and Liquid fired his Vulcan gun at them, which Raiden blocked with his sword. They ran into the door at the bottom, and got away from it as bullets ripped it apart. Soon he gave up, and left.  
  
"Whew. That was close."  
  
"How'd you know that ledge was there?"  
  
".I didn't. I was planning to grab the ladder I spotted while I was picking the lock. HEY!!!! I LOST MY KIT!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"That's not all you'll lose. and I believe we have a score to settle."  
  
Raiden heard something rush behind him, and tackle Meryl into Snake. Raiden checked on them. They were both unconscious.  
  
"Are you ready?" The now recognizable voice asked.  
  
Raiden really didn't want to deal with Drago again. He'd rather have to fight Vamp.  
  
"Come on out you fairy tale reject!"  
  
Somewhere in the poorly lit room, Drago chuckled.  
  
"So you guessed why I'm called Drago. It's strange that so many people claim to like dragons in fairy tales, and yet can't even connect the name Drago and my similar appearance to the mythical beast."  
  
Raiden was a bit surprised. He didn't picture Drago to be quite so intelligent. He assumed he wasn't terribly bright due to his behavior.  
  
".Don't think I can't see you in the rafters, Drago."  
  
Drago arched an eye ridge. He was apparently surprised that Raiden could see him. Raiden understood that, since he had wandered deeper into the dark room. Normally, a person could be staring right at Drago, and not spot him in this light.  
  
".Too bad you won't see me much longer!!!"  
  
Then Drago leapt, and glided around the large warehouse like room. Raiden then realized something that should've hit him earlier.  
  
"Damn! He can fly!"  
  
Despite the fact he probably had a gun that could pierce that strong hide of his, he decided to stick to the sword. Raiden really couldn't see all that well in the dark. He only spotted Drago because his sword reflected light onto his scales. Raiden was almost blind in this light, but he knew that Drago could see. He heard the sound of wind, and he jumped, slashing below him, cutting Drago's back.  
  
"RAAAAUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
He drew blood, which he was certain of, but those scales prevented him from striking his spinal cord. Raiden thought about this, and had an idea. He took out a stun grenade, and threw it at a wall. Drago wasn't fooled by the sound of it hitting, but he was sure affected by the blast.  
  
"GAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!! WHERE ARE YOU?????????????"  
  
Raiden ran at him, and delivered a powerful slash to his arm. Drago leapt back in pain, then rushed Raiden. Raiden held his sword up, trying to keep Drago from bringing his claws down. Raiden was close enough to the door to see clearly now, and saw that Drago's hands were bleeding, which made sense since he was pushing against it, trying to topple Raiden. Raiden thought of a possibility he didn't want to stoop to, but would rather do that then get killed. He kicked Drago in the groin, but Drago certainly didn't react like he thought he would. Drago acted like he would if he was kicked anywhere else. Raiden knew that Drago was going to get an edge. He could also tell that he had a tendency to act differently when he gets angry enough. This was one of those times. Raiden could see the bloodlust in Drago's eyes. He felt doomed.  
  
//////////////////////////////////  
  
.See? No 'skits'. just more of the.  
  
Snake: All right! A group called Blaze just toppled the Patriots.  
  
Cid: Snake. that's the sports section. Blaze beats Patriots 27-12.  
  
Snake: . Then where's the front page?  
  
Roll: I've got the Ann Landers.  
  
Blues: . I have the movie section.  
  
(Then a flushing sound is heard from Bowser's bathroom, and he walks out.)  
  
Bowser: I'd better go pick up more jumbo toilet paper rolls.  
  
All: .  
  
Snake: So much for the front page.  
  
Beelzemon: . (Bangs head on table.) So much for getting an update done without interruptions. 


	18. Explanations given

..Yeah, I'm finally updating this fic.. anyway, Forte was acting weird when he dropped by earlier.... something about a lunatic Sayjin...  
  
/////////////////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 17 - Explanations given.  
  
  
  
Raiden was slowly bending back from how much force Drago was applying to topple him. He was in trouble. Then he had an idea..  
  
"EEEEYYYYAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"  
  
Raiden fell back, catching Drago off guard as he fell forward over him, and crashed into a shelf. Raiden could see Drago getting his tail and wings out from under some packages that fell on him. Raiden took the chance, and slashed at Drago, leaving a bleeding gash on his chest.  
  
"RRRRAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Raiden had already noticed that the angrier Drago got, the less human he acted. He didn't really want to fight something that had no reasoning. He was off guard when Drago pounced on him, and knocked the sword away. Drago had him pinned down, and he couldn't get a gun. Raiden watched Drago open his mouth like he was going to eat him. He was afraid it was the end....  
  
"STOP!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Raiden looked to his left.  
  
"MEI LING??????? GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Drago's actions started to seem less aggressive.  
  
"DEREK, PLEASE STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Derek??????"  
  
Raiden then saw Drago's face. Despite not being a human face, he saw a mixed expression of surprise, fear, and sorrow. He could even see tears in the beast's eyes. Drago got off of Raiden, and stepped back. What surprised Raiden most was that Mei Ling willingly approached Drago, and held onto his arm as she led him out of the room.  
  
"....What the hell just happened?"  
  
Raiden blinked, and then woke up Snake and Meryl.  
  
"Ow... My head...."  
  
"Damn Frankenstein reject..."  
  
"Snake. Meryl.... I think we need to talk to Mei Ling..."  
  
  
  
Snake and Meryl both rubbed their eyes to make sure they weren't seeing things. They weren't. Drago was in the hanger Mei Ling was using to operate the Soliton Radar out in the field. He had bandages across his chest, on both hands, on his right arm, and a couple on his tail and wings. Both Pedro and Mei Ling either didn't notice him, or something else. Drago was sitting on an old bed in the hanger, while Mei Ling and Pedro were checking the systems.  
  
"That's funny... According to the computer, Snake and the others are..."  
  
"Right here." Snake finished, " Mei Ling, what the hell's going on!?!?!?!?!"  
  
Mei Ling and Pedro jumped when Snake spoke.  
  
"Snake, I...."  
  
Then Raiden threw in his two cents.  
  
"Why the heck did you call Drago 'Derek'?"  
  
Mei Ling sighed.  
  
"...All right.... I owe you an explanation.... Drago... Or Derek, which is his real name, is a friend of mine from when I was in collage.."  
  
"Before you graduated and went into aviation at first, right?" Snake asked.  
  
Mei Ling nodded.  
  
"When I went into aviation and the military, Derek went into genetics and nanotechnology.... He refined the nanomachines you're using right now..."  
  
"Drago did THAT?????? He seemed like a mindless monster to me.." Meryl said.  
  
"Don't be so sure... He sure didn't seem mindless when I fought him in the warehouse..."  
  
Mei Ling was about to answer, when Drago..Er..'Derek' spoke.  
  
"I attacked you because I thought you were working for the Patriots.. They did this to me..." Drago said, and hit the bed when he finished.  
  
"Oh my God.. Why would anyone do such a thing?" Meryl asked, disgusted.  
  
"Because he challenged the Patriots... He studied genetics for himself, and proved that the original theory of 100,000 genes existing was the truth, among other genetic information... He was going to prove it to a gathering of over two hundred geneticists from around the world.."  
  
"When the Patriots did this to me... I studied herpetology as a hobby, and they decided to 'give' me a more intimate view on it... I was lucky Dynamo had heard about the meeting, and knew the Patriots would get involved.... I'm only alive thanks to him, but.... I couldn't prove what I found.... I can't prove who I am, I'd be labeled a freak, and end up being caged, probed, and tested until I'm dead.... Mei Ling... How did you learn what happened to me?"  
  
Then a youthful person walked in.  
  
"I knew you told me to keep quiet about it to her, but I did notice that the Patriots little hey day with your DNA started affecting your mind..."  
  
Then the three mercenaries turned to face what they thought was a ghost.  
  
"DYNAMO???????????"  
  
"What, did you think I was working for Liquid? I was, but I quit after I learned about Liquid hiring Enigma... She gets on my nerves too much.... the one you fought in the generator room was a VR controlled android that looked like me.... Falcon helped me pull of my 'K.I.A.' act..."  
  
Dynamo then sat down on the floor.  
  
"...I'm surprised Falcon cracked the secret to an android.... he's younger then I am.... Guess it came off from his skills with sculpture.... I gotta admit... His clay model of 'The Pieta' is a damn good forgery.. it even has Michelangelo's name on Mary's sash..."  
  
None of them quite good what he was saying.  
  
"....So you aren't art buffs, huh?"  
  
"...I'm going to check in with Rose." Raiden said.  
  
He activated the Codec, but Otacon answered Rose's frequency.  
  
Otacon? Where's Rose?   
  
The hospital...  
  
The hospital??????? Is she all right?   
  
Well... Ah... You're going to be a father sometime soon...   
  
Raiden was stunned.  
  
WHAT?????????????   
  
Don't worry.. she'll be fine.. anyway, if you want data on Neo- Foxhound, call my frequency..  
  
HEY WAIT!!!!!!!!! Do you have any background info on Falcon?  
  
...Actually, I was looking it up. It seems here he's a young boy that was forced to raise himself after his parents were killed. He displayed an incredible knack for technology and art, and he made several remote controlled dolls using both talents.. the dolls looked and acted so much like real people, that he was accused of witchcraft, and shrinking human beings to that size. Of course, he proved otherwise, but he was picked up by a high classed robotics company in Japan, and has used some technology from there to make his VR suit. He provided the Japanese government with high quality robots that could even behave like human beings... He personally programmed them with 'persona' chips that gave them a way to behave and move in different ways. Rumor has it he even perfected androids. This was proven when the android double of himself he made broke down after an electrical accident, and it proved he snuck away from the company. He was picked up by Fox-hound for his abilities to do things impossible for human beings, which turns out that he had doctors replace his muscle tissue, and implant a special computer chip in his brain that's directly linked to the VR technology in the area around him. It allows him to manipulate it, and even work together with real objects, like Enigma's illusions, but everything you see is real to a point... It also seems he was sent to a prison for juvenile delinquents for awhile for forging sculptured masterpieces. He was caught only after he intentionally tried to be caught by signing his own name on a fake sculpture.  
  
Pretty long history, huh?   
  
Yeah, but all the interesting ones are..   
  
////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Looks like several people were duped.. and it won't end here... 


	19. Light destroys Shadow

Glad to know some people still read this.....  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 18 - Light destroys Shadow.  
  
  
  
Drago's eyes glinted. Then he started acting less human, and bounded out of the room. They chased after him, and they found him mauling a guard that strayed out for a smoke.  
  
"DEREK!!!!!! OH GOD NO!!!!!!!!"  
  
Drago caught himself before he killed the guard, and stepped back, hardly able to believe he just sealed a guard's fate. The injuries were impossible to survive from, and the guard quickly died. Drago made his way back to the bed, and his face in his hands as best he could.  
  
"I told ya it was getting to ya...." Dynamo said.  
  
Drago remained silent.  
  
"Dynamo, please don't remind him.... Derek, it's okay.... I'm here to help if you need me..." Said Mei Ling.  
  
She held onto Drago's arm, and looked at him, hoping that he wasn't going to lose it again.  
  
"Ah.....Listen, I'd help too, but we really need to stop Liquid." Raiden said, with a slightly cold tone.  
  
Dynamo then took out three level five cards.  
  
"Liquid locked Stinger missiles in the armory on the 30th floor. He didn't plan on a traitor..."  
  
Dynamo handed them the ID cards, and they left, planning to stop Liquid, one way or another.....  
  
  
  
  
  
After a half hour, Raiden and the others hit a snag...  
  
"The hell? The elevator goes past level 30, and stops on 31."  
  
"Worse yet, there doesn't seem to be anyway to get to 30 from 29 or 31..."  
  
"We're stuck?"  
  
As soon as Meryl said that, the floor opens up, dropping Raiden into the room below, and sealing him in.  
  
"Ow.... what a ride..."  
  
"Well, you impressed me before.... you're worthy of the codename that you were originally given...."  
  
Raiden thought about it.  
  
"Snake.... Where are you?"  
  
Raiden couldn't see anything. It was pitch black, and the night vision goggles didn't work since the room was total darkness.  
  
"I'm close...."  
  
"Shadow, I don't know how you're alive, but I'm sending you to the grave this time...."  
  
Shadow smirked, which Raiden didn't see.  
  
"I was lucky... your bullets deflected off of my metal headband... You only knocked me out....."  
  
Raiden then put on his Thermal goggles, and gasped.  
  
"Oh shit...."  
  
He saw numerous thermal images in human form.  
  
"I thought ninjas had honor!"  
  
Shadow frowned.  
  
"I see you think those other thermal images are guards...."  
  
Raiden shot a few, and they simply disappeared from sight.  
  
"WHAT THE????????"  
  
"You're fighting purely on my terms now....DIE!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Raiden ducked in time to avoid ninja stars. He looked around, and realized ALL of the images were moving.  
  
"DAMN!"  
  
Raiden fired all over, and whenever fake images vanished, more took their place.  
  
"WHERE ARE YOU???????????"  
  
He decided to take off the thermal goggles, and listen. He heard movement to his left, so he turned and fired. He missed. Then he heard something knocking against wood. That gave him an idea. He fired in the direction of the sound, and ventilated wooden covers over windows. Small beams of light entered. Enough to use his Night Vision goggles. He turned them on, and was blinded by flash powder. He took the goggles off, and continued firing at the window. Enough light to see the room came in. He ducked as Shadow slashed at him, and fired upon Shadow's exposed torso. Shadow fell to the ground, and started bleeding. Raiden then shot him in the head, and made sure he was dead. He was. Raiden then found the lever for the trapdoor, and opened it, letting Snake and Meryl in.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I finally got rid of Shadow...."  
  
"Good work... That door over there is labeled 'armory', so we found the 30th floor.."  
  
Then they entered, and stocked up on weapons...  
  
  
  
Rose Bane sighed. He was bored. He planted another seed in the ground. The ash made great nutrition for the plants. Firefly's burnt corpse also provides food for the plants. He knew that the three would have to return to this room to get to Metal Gear, so he decided to wait....... 


	20. Info and laughs at no cost

I think mimic's getting impatient. Anyway, you guys are REALLY starting to ask questions that'll spoil the story. But Rose's motive should be obvious....... Anyway, like I said, this is a serious fic, but I can't help but throw in some laughs.........  
  
///////////////////////////////////////  
  
Chapter 19 - Information and a few laughs at no expense.....  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
While Snake and the others were getting things like body armor from the armory, Otacon called.  
  
Raiden, I have more info on Falcon.   
  
Geez! How much more?   
  
A lot. I think I found out his motive in the whole affair. It ties in with a mental quirk picked up when they took a psychological profile on him before putting him in Juvenile hall. It seems that he detested adults for his life, and apparently, he saw this as a way to get back at all but those he trusted. Namely, Neo-Foxhound.   
  
Pretty warped philosophy. Snake commented.  
  
Well, yeah, but they also found out he hates the reality in his life, and was trying to 'fix' it with his VR technology. I managed to hack a few of his personal programs from the computers there, and they're simulations of a normal life.   
  
You mean.... Meryl started.  
  
Bingo. A normal life, family, friends, everything he could think of, all simulated. What bothers me is that it contradicts his philosophy of hating adults. It doesn't make sense.   
  
Then Raiden remembered a few things.  
  
Otacon, did you dig up more info on his androids?   
  
Yeah, they were ultimately banned because they were TOO human. He nailed every detail down. Even the androids themselves were fooled into thinking they were human. Nothing short of a complete autopsy will due to prove if they're human or not. He even made a substance that reacts just like human bone, only stronger. He's a genius!   
  
Then Raiden got an idea.  
  
What if Falcon wasn't actually assisting Neo-Foxhound?   
  
WHAT!?!?! Meryl yelped, But he...   
  
Hold on a minute! Raiden might have something. Falcon's main flaw with the androids was that when trying to duplicate a person exactly with one, he ALWAYS got the personality wrong. Even his own android with the robotics company was flawed, and was too cooperative and cheerful.   
  
I think I got it.   
  
Otacon blinked.  
  
What's your idea Raiden?   
  
If I could make a double of myself to use in battle, I'd use it instead of risking my own neck. Wouldn't Falcon do the same?   
  
......   
  
Then everyone realized Raiden had a point.  
  
You mean Falcon was never at Rising Heaven to begin with?   
  
Who knows, but he's probably in one of those simulations right now.   
  
Then that'd explain why I found the VR programs running from somewhere in the States......... But Falcon really seems to want to abandon reality. He even integrated a rather odd system. If he's hurt or dies in the VR world, he'll die here!   
  
Aw geez! Let me guess.....When this is over, we're pulling the plug on his video games. Raiden commented.  
  
Would you rather leave him like that? Meryl added.  
  
They were about to talk more, when they heard voices. They then noticed that the wall was actually a two-way mirror, and they were watching Liquid and the others in some sort of break room. Since there were probably a lot of guards to kill them if they tried to kill them now, they remained silent, and watched.  
  
"Wolf, I have a question." Liquid stated.  
  
"Yes?" Wolf asked while wiping off her sniper rifle.  
  
"Why DID you come back to the terrorist game? I thought you hated it."  
  
"As long as Snake's still alive, I still have prey I need to kill....."  
  
Then Snake felt the scar from Wolf's nails that she made back at Shadow Moses.  
  
"And here I thought you had a crush on me...." Liquid said jokingly.  
  
"LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Enigma shouted as she ran into the room, and dove for cover behind the couch Liquid was sitting on.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
Then Rose Bane ran in, wearing a snap-brim fedora, a leather jacket, and carrying a bullwhip. He also had a somewhat sleepy look in his eyes.  
  
"What the hell's going on?" Liquid asked.  
  
Then Rose Bane set his sights on Liquid, and lashed the whip.  
  
"ARE YOU A TRAITOR!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"  
  
"RETURN THE CROSS!!!!!!!!! IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Cross!?!?! What cross!?!?!?!"  
  
"HE'S SLEEPWALKING!!!!!!!!!! HE WAS WATCHING AN INDIANA JONES MARATHON HE HAD ON TAPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Enigma shouted, giving the answer to the odd dilemma.  
  
Snake, Raiden, and Meryl stifled chuckles. Then Rose Bane snapped the whip, and Enigma yelped when it smacked her butt. Then the three heroes were struggling to keep from laughing. When Vamp entered the room, things REALLY got out of control........  
  
"Rose Bane, why are you whipping the others!?!?!" Vamp demanded.  
  
Then Rose Bane turned around. Vamp drew his knife, ready for combat. Rose Bane just took out a revolver, and shot Vamp. Vamp parried the bullet, but Rose Bane apparently saw his as dead. Then Enigma slapped Rose Bane for the butt whipping, and Rose Bane started rubbing his cheek.  
  
"Owwwww..... Enigma, what was that for?"  
  
The others blinked. Then Rose Bane noticed his attire and weapons, and sighed.  
  
"Not again....... First it was James Bond, and now Indiana Jones........"  
  
"So.....what did he do as 'James Bond'?" Liquid asked.  
  
"I don't think he...." Enigma started.  
  
Then Rose Bane's watch sounding the hour cut off Enigma.  
  
"Hmmm. My watch is a few minutes behind..... I'd better...."  
  
As soon as Rose Bane pushed the button on his watch, an explosion was heard, and everyone fell over. Then they saw several guards and parts of a wall fall past the window.  
  
"That's not coming out of my paycheck, is it?" Rose Bane asked. 


End file.
